End of the Game
by fanwriter1245
Summary: Part 3 of 3. It's time for Kris to return for the final film. But how will she get through this one, knowing that when it is over, she can never come back? And how will she ever be able to explain that to Bruce?
1. Four Years

**Alright, here is the final part to my Dark Knight Trilogy fanfictions! Thanks to everyone who has favorited and followed so far!**

**Trying to figure out the timeline of this movie was next to impossible. I did the best I could, so just bear with me as far as that goes!**

**Enjoy Part 3 :)**

* * *

It's been four years. Four extremely long years. Four painful years since I was in _The Dark Knight_. I was depressed, angry, and I just wanted to be back. My dramatic change in attitude had not gone unnoticed by my fellow coworkers. Everyone tried to figure out what was wrong with me. After all, when I went in _The Dark Knight,_ no time passed in my own world. As far as they knew, something had happened between when I left work that evening and came in the next day. But they could never understand.

Who knows what had happened with Bruce since I had been taken? I just hoped Alfred had given him my letter. If not, what would he do? What would happen to him?

When I was sent back, I'll admit that I spent a lot of time crying. There was this one time when Jay, one of my neighbors, came to check on me right in the middle of one of my cry-fests. I really liked Jay, and I even used to have a crush on him when he first moved in, but I really didn't want him to see me so beat up. He was really nice though and didn't ask what was wrong. For that, I was eternally grateful because I could never explain to anyone why I was so upset. Jay just brought me some fast food every now and again and binge-watched some shows on Netflix with me, like _Fringe, Merlin, Doctor Who, _and _Sherlock_. It really cheered me up and helped me to forget all about what had happened to me.

At one point, Jay asked if I wanted to watch The Dark Knight Trilogy, since he knew I was such a big fan of those movies and thought it might make me feel better, but it took all I had to not completely break down again right there. I simply refused and we watched a bunch of Disney movies instead. He also recommended we watch _Equilibrium _because he knew I loved that movie so much, but I couldn't. I couldn't even watch anything with Christian Bale in it because it just reminded me of Bruce.

Jay had seriously been a life-saver ever since I came back. I never really had a lot of friends because I'm such a geek and a loner, so it was really nice to have someone like him helping me out and being there for me.

Since my time in_ The Dark Knight_, I began to prepare myself more than ever before. I began an intense workout program to get stronger and I also joined a self-defense class so nothing like what the Joker did to me would ever happen again. I blamed myself more than anything for leaving without being able to tell Bruce I was okay. Instead of taking initiative, I was the stupid little damsel-in-distress and as a result, I ruined everything.

I was a lot more fit than I had been and I was trained for almost anything that was thrown my way. Never again was someone going to kidnap me, take advantage of me, or anything. I was prepared.

I hadn't watched _The Dark Knight Rises_ for a while. Whenever I tried, I couldn't help but tear up at who I had left behind. I just got upset and depressed when I watched it. I couldn't even make it past the first twenty minutes when Alfred berates Bruce for not moving on and finding someone and Bruce replies that he did find someone. Obviously when I watched it at home, he was talking about Rachel, but I couldn't help but think about him saying that and meaning he found me. After that part, I couldn't watch anymore. I also couldn't ignore the fact that whenever I went back for that movie, it would be my last time in Gotham with the man I had feelings for.

I had no idea when I was going back. When I went back for _The Dark Knight,_ about a year had passed, just like real time between the first two films. I prayed that didn't mean I'd have to wait eight years like everyone else in Gotham. I was already going nuts after just four years.

After my afternoon workout once I had showered and dressed, I sat on the couch to relax and try to get through however many days it would be before I went back. I turned on the TV and when I scrolled through the channels, I saw that _The Dark Knight Rises_ just happened to be on. I wasn't going to watch it at first, but then decided that I could use a little more preparation on that end.

When I turned it on, it had just started and was at the part where Catwoman meets Bruce in his house when she steals from him. I blew a puff of air out through my cheeks. Selina was so lucky that she got to be there with him now while I was stuck here with no way to get back.

I felt a strange pull suddenly and before I knew it, I was flung towards the TV and everything went black.

* * *

For the last time, I opened my eyes and stumbled forward. I didn't have to look around me to know that I was in the Manor. After four years, it was time for me to return for the final film.

"Kristina?" I heard an all-too-familiar voice say softly. Almost barely audible in fact. I turned and there stood the man I was head over heels in love with. I was so happy, I didn't even think about correcting him about my name.

"Bruce," I said in a whisper. I ran up to him and hugged him tightly, careful not to hurt him since he was using a cane. His arm slowly went to my back. I pulled away and looked him over. He looked exactly like he did when the movie began. But why was he like this? He should've been fine if he knew I was coming back. "Oh, what have you done to yourself?" I laughed lightly.

"I thought you were dead," he said quietly.

"No, the Joker took me, but I'm fine."

"So where have you been all these years?"

I looked at him. "Alfred didn't…?" Deep down, I had always had this feeling that Alfred wasn't going to give him that letter. He burned Rachel's after all. "You know what, it doesn't matter because I'm here now." I put my hand to his face and looked deep into his eyes. There was so much pain and hurt in them that I felt so guilty for leaving even though I had no control over it. "I have missed you so much." I pressed my lips to his in a firm kiss. I hadn't realized how much I missed the sensation of having his lips on mine. When we pulled away, I gave him a small smile. "First things first. You need to shave."


	2. Miranda's Gala

Words cannot express how happy I was to be back in Bruce's arms. I was surprised at how quickly he accepted my return, but I was not going to complain.

Over the course of my hiatus at home, I had formulated a good story about my absence since I had a feeling "it's really complicated" wasn't going to cut it this time. I explained to Bruce that I escaped from the Joker's men, which wasn't a total lie, but I couldn't get back to Gotham because I believed that that would be the first place they looked for me when they realized I escaped and I had no way of getting back to Gotham at all. Another not-so-total lie. So I wandered around until I was able to find a way back. I told him how I had been training myself to fight and I tried to get more fit so no one would ever take me again.

Apparently, he believed that I was dead for all that time since he could not find me the night he captured the Joker. I guess that explained why he still looked like a hobo with a gross depression beard. I never understood why he decided to become a sweet vigilante after his parents died, but became a recluse for eight whole years after Rachel died when they weren't even in a relationship to begin with. But now he had lost Rachel, a girl he used to have feelings for, and then me, the girl he currently had feelings for. One person can only handle so much loss. And I had seen firsthand how beat up he was after Rachel died. I could only imagine how he reacted when he realized I was gone.

Alfred apologized profusely for not giving Bruce my letter. He told me that because they had both believed I was dead, he didn't want to fill Bruce with the false hope that he would see me again. I guess, in the long run, that made sense. But I still wish he'd seen it. I still needed to explain to him that after a time, I would not be able to come back.

It was safe to assume that I was somewhere in the first thirty minutes of the movie because Bruce still looked awful. Seriously, I waited with anticipation for him to finally remove that horrid facial hair whenever I watched that film. It didn't suit him whatsoever. Luckily for me, he wasn't going to have it for much longer. I figured out where in the movie I was when Officer Blake stopped by.

I didn't listen in on their conversation because I obviously didn't need to.

Honestly, it didn't seem plausible that Blake figured out Bruce's identity from just a look on his face. Eh, it's also not plausible that a fangirl gets thrown into her favorite movies, but here I am.

When Blake came back out, Bruce followed and the two of us plus Alfred watched him leave.

"You check that name? 'Bane'?" Bruce asked.

"He's a mercenary," Alfred answered. "No other known names. Him and his men were behind a coup in West Africa that secured mining operations for our friend John Daggett."

"Now Daggett's brought them here."

"Or so it seems. I'll keep digging." Alfred turned to leave when Bruce called him back.

"Alfred, why did the Wayne Foundation stop funding boys' homes in the city?"

"The Foundation is funded by the profits of Wayne Enterprises. There have to be some."

"Time to talk to Mr. Fox, I think."

"I'll get him on the phone."

"No, no, no. Do we still have any cars around the place?"

"Yes, one or two," Alfred said with a shadow of a smile.

"I need an appointment at the hospital for my leg."

"Which hospital, sir?"

"Whichever one Jim Gordon's in," Bruce called back as he left the room. Alfred looked a little dejected at that comment. I knew very well that he just wanted Bruce to give up the whole Batman act. I certainly didn't! Come on, dating (if you could call what we were doing that) a superhero is the best thing ever!

When Bruce came out, he looked like whole new person. The beard was gone, thank goodness, and he was wearing a pretty nice suit. Now we just needed to get rid of that cane…

"Much better," I smiled. "Which car are you taking?"

"Lamborghini," he answered.

"Okay, let's go."

"Whoa, who said you could come?"

I looked at him with a smirk. "I haven't seen you for years. You think I'm gonna let you go anywhere without me? Besides, I have a right to know what the heck is wrong with you."

He didn't say anything, but he allowed me to tag along.

At the hospital, we passed several people with shocked looks on their faces. I guess it really was a surprise to see Bruce out and about after so long. He ended up taking a few x-rays of his legs and then we both went to wait for the doctor in the examination room.

When he came in, he put Bruce's x-rays on the light so he could see them.

"I have seen worse cartilage in knees," he said.

"That's good."

"No. That's because there is no cartilage in your knee. And not much of any use in your elbows or your shoulders. Between that and the scar tissue on your kidneys, the residual concussive damage to your brain tissue, and general scarred-over quality of your body, I cannot recommend that you go heli-skiing, Mr. Wayne."

The doctor left and I smirked at Bruce. "You've really beaten yourself up, haven't you? How can one person sustain so many injuries and not have to constantly wear a body cast?"

Bruce gave me a small smile. I had forgotten just how much I missed that gorgeous smile of his. "I have some…'business' to take care of, so could you—?"

"Yeah," I answered. "I'll just go sign you out."

As I went out to the reception desk, I couldn't help but smile at the thought of Bruce wearing that gaudy ski mask and flying down the wall to talk to Gordon. I collected Bruce's x-rays and signed the necessary forms for him, then went to wait by his car.

Eventually, he met me there, still hobbling along. We really had to get that knee brace as soon as possible. Well, at least it was better than the broken back he was going to get. I just might try to prevent that if I can. He still might get taken to the pit, but at least he won't be in agony. I could rest a little easier if I knew that.

"I have something else to take care of. If you'd like, I can drop you back off at the Manor."

"Are you joking? I'm not missing anything else! What's up?"

"One of the maids, who ended up actually being a thief named Selina Kyle, stole my mother's pearls. There's a tracker on them so I'm going to get them back."

"Sounds fun," I laughed.

We got back into the car and I told him where to go as I examined his tracking device. We watched Selina get into a taxi, then Bruce turned the car around and followed her. She ended up going to a fancy fundraiser with some old guy. Bruce stopped a couple blocks away and turned to me.

"There's something for you in the back." He opened up the trunk and I pulled out a short black dress. "We're going to a little gala."

"Excuse me?"

"Throw that on. You can't go in there with jeans and a t-shirt."

"Why do you have a woman's dress in the trunk of your car?" He started to answer, but I stopped him. "You know what? I don't want to know. Where am I supposed to change?"

Bruce gave me a coy smile and his eyes went to the seats. I closed my eyes and groaned.

"You can't be serious." He stood outside while I changed. Luckily, the windows were tinted and he couldn't see inside. At least, I certainly hoped he couldn't…

When I climbed out, I refused to meet his eyes, especially since I was blushing terribly. I took the hair tie around my wrist and did a quick little fancy-ish knot in my hair and secured it. Pretty good for a girl getting ready for a party in three minutes!

"How's this?" I asked him.

"Couldn't be more perfect."

The both of us hopped back into the seats and Bruce drove up to the faux "red carpet" thing for the party.

I got out first and went around to Bruce's side. Too bad the whole cripple mode took away a bit of his gentleman behavior. He didn't open the door for me, but he did allow me to take his arm.

"No, that's Bruce Wayne!" one reporter shouted.

Everyone began clamoring around him, trying to get a story on the recluse man. Bruce took out a button and all of their cameras shut off at once.

"You've got a gadget for everything, don't you?" I said playfully. "Not that I mind. I never was red carpet material."

Bruce smiled and the two of us slowly went up to the entrance. A smiling woman came to meet us. For once, a pretty woman didn't give me a dirty look when she saw me with Bruce Wayne.

"I'm not sure if my assistant put us on the, uh…" he said.

"Right through here, Mr. Wayne," she said happily.

"Thank you so much," we both said to her.

When we walked in, I took in my surroundings. A bunch of stuck-up snobs and fakers. And Miranda, the biggest faker of all, running the whole thing, pretending to be all innocent and helpful. But I knew exactly who she was.

"The things I do for you," I mumbled to Bruce.

"The things _you_ do for _me_?"

"You know very well that I do not do things like this."

"You're the one who said you didn't want to miss anything."

"Touché."

The two of us went up to the second level and leaned against the railing, watching the dancers, specifically Selina, below. Then a person I didn't know I could loathe so much showed her pretty little masked face.

"Bruce Wayne at a charity ball."

Brue turned to her and looked at her for a second, trying to guess who she was. "Miss Tate, isn't it?"

No. It's Talia Al Ghul. But I had a feeling I couldn't exactly just blurt that out here and now. Bruce certainly wouldn't believe me and I'm sure she would make up some kind of story to cover up her true identity.

"Who's this?" she asked, looking at me as she removed her mask.

"I'm Kristina Jacobson," I said, trying not sound as icy as I wanted to.

She gave me a fake smile before turning her gaze back to Bruce. "Even before you became a recluse, you never came to these things."

"The proceeds go to the big fat spread. It's not about charity. It's about feeding the ego of whichever society hag laid this on."

"Actually, this is my party, Mr. Wayne."

"Oh."

I always felt bad for Bruce when that happened. It had to have been awkward for the both of them. Not that I cared about "Miranda", but Bruce finally comes out of hiding and he completely embarrasses himself on the first day. Poor thing.

"And the proceeds will go where they should because I paid for the big fat spread myself," Miranda/Talia continued.

"That's very generous of you."

"You have to invest if you want to restore balance to the world."

HELLO?! "Restore balance"? That's something Ra's said to Bruce before. Clue number one!

"Take our clean-energy project," she continued.

"Sometimes the investment doesn't pay off. I'm sorry."

"You have a practiced apathy, Mr. Wayne. But a man who doesn't care about the world doesn't spend half his fortune on a plan to save it. And isn't so wounded when it fails that he goes into hiding. Have a good evening, Mr. Wayne."

Bruce watched her as she left. I looked after her. "I don't trust her," I remarked.

"Why not?"

"Something's just off. I'm a good judge of character." Psh, that was a complete lie. I hadn't even picked up at all that Miranda was the real villain until she revealed herself at the end of the movie. "And there's something about her that just doesn't seem right."

"I think you're worrying a bit too much."

Wanna bet?

He looked over to where Selina was dancing with the old guy she had come with. "I need to talk with her. You'll be okay by yourself?"

I smirked at him. "Just go."

While he went there, I headed over to the bar to get a better view. I watched him go up to the man dancing with Selina and take his place in the dance. I knew their whole conversation without even thinking about it, so I didn't really have to focus on that.

"You want something, miss?" the bartender asked me.

"No, thanks," I answered politely.

"Are you sure? We've got some fine choices here and you look like you need to loosen up."

"Excuse me?"

"I have a gift. I can tell when a woman is under pressure, and you look like you've got a lot of it. Just one drink? It'll help you to release all that tension on that pretty body."

What a pervert. "Really, I don't need one."

"Nonsense. I'll fix you up with something that'll ease your mind fast."

"What part of 'no' did you not get?"

He ignored me yet again and after a while, presented me with a small glass of liquid. I looked at it and smelled it. There was definitely something there that shouldn't have been. I recognized it immediately. He had spiked the drink. I pretended to take a small sip. Then I leaned onto the bar with a smile. "Nice try." I then threw the contents of the glass onto his face and walked away.

I was just in time to see Selina land a big fat kiss on Bruce (I chose not to feel upset about it), and I knew she had just stolen his valet ticket. I started to go after her, but before I could do so, I felt a gentle hand on my arm.

"Spare a dance for me?" Bruce asked.

I looked after Selina and sighed. His funeral…uh, Lamborghini. Bruce and I went to the middle of the floor, and he put his hand on my waist and took my other hand in his. To be honest, I didn't really dance much. I had participated in cotillion in middle school, but that was a very, very long time ago. I did remember dancing with my dad in our living room. He taught me to always let the man lead. So that's what I did. Even though Bruce used a cane, he could still at least sway in circles and not make me look like an idiot.

"So what was all that over at the bar?" he asked.

"Trust me," I said flatly. "You don't wanna know."

He met my eyes. "I've really missed you, Kris."

"I've missed you too. A lot." There was a pause before I continued. "I was furious at myself for getting taken. I feel like it's my fault that you, if you don't mind my saying, lost yourself. If I had just been stronger or tougher or better, then—"

"Kris," he cut me off. "It was the Joker who did that to you. It's not your fault that you were taken away and couldn't come back, it's not your fault that I holed myself up in the Manor, and it's not your fault that I became…well, what I did."

"Well, I'm back now. And I'm planning on staying for a while this time." A while as in approximately five and a half months. But hey, it was longer than the other movies, right? "Bruce," I said softly. I wanted to tell him that I never wanted to leave his side. I wanted to tell him about Bane and the pit and Miranda/Talia. I wanted to tell him that I loved him.

Instead, I kissed him and let our lips brush over each other. This was a thousand times better than when I had kissed him before since he had all that stupid facial hair.

How much longer would I be able to keep this up?

We danced in silence for the rest of the time, but I didn't mind. It was nice to just feel him holding me close to him.

When we left, I knew exactly what was coming. "Must've lost my ticket," he said to the valet as he felt his pockets.

"Your wife said you were both taking a cab home," the valet replied.

"My wife?" Bruce said in shock.

"You have a wife now?" I said in mock anger. "That would've been nice to know before!"

I'm sorry, but I found this whole scene funny every time. Alfred came and picked us both up, and Bruce may not have seen it, but I knew that Alfred was trying to keep in laughter himself.


	3. Batman's Return

The next day, it was finally time for me to return to Wayne Enterprises and see Mr. Fox. I was really nervous about seeing him again. I had no idea how he was going to react when he saw me.

Bruce was going to get some new materials and the magic knee brace so he could finally get rid of that cane. Thank goodness. It needed to go.

Seeing as Bruce owned the company, he saw no need to wait and just waltzed right in to Mr. Fox's office.

"You're certainly still confident," I laughed as we sat down.

"Bruce Wayne," Mr. Fox said as he came into the room. "And Kristina Jacobson. As I live and breathe."

Well, nice to see he wasn't freaking out about my return.

"What brings my personal assistant back into my office?"

"Hold it. Did you just call me your personal assistant?" I asked in shock.

"Well, you never officially resigned, you weren't fired, so as far as I'm concerned, you're still an employee at Wayne Enterprises."

"You're serious?"

"Of course I am. It's really good to see you again."

So, Lucius Fox still considered me his PA. I was perfectly okay with that. So far, a lot of things were going my way. I wondered when it was all going to end.

"What brings you out of cryo-sleep, Mr. Wayne?"

"You haven't lost your sense of humor. Even if you have lost most of my money," Bruce said.

"Actually, you did that," Mr. Fox replied. Ouch. "If you funnel your entire R and D budget into a fusion project that you then mothball, your company is unlikely to thrive."

"What are my options?"

"Well, if you're not willing to turn on the machine…"

"I can't. I can't, Lucius."

"Well, then sit tight. Your majority keeps Daggett at bay while we figure out a future for the energy program with Miranda Tate. She has supported your project all the way. She's smart, and quite lovely."

And the daughter of Ra's Al Ghul. Call me crazy, but they would never work out. I grimaced at the thought of the two of them kissing in the movie. Even when I first watched it and didn't even know her real identity, I never approved of them together.

Bruce gave him his best "are-you-for-real" look…and so did I.

"We all just want what's best for you, Bruce." I loudly cleared my throat and looked at him. He smiled and continued, "Show her the machine."

"I'll think it over."

"Anything else?"

"Nope," Bruce said, standing up. "Why?"

"These conversations used to end with an unusual request."

"I retired."

"Mm-hm. Well, let me show you some stuff anyway. Just for old times' sake."

Mr. Fox opened his secret elevator and escorted us down to the hidden room with all the equipment. It still amazed me, though it had become quite cluttered since the last time I had been down here.

"I figured you'd have shut this place down," Bruce said.

"Oh, it was always shut down, officially," Mr. Fox replied.

"All this new stuff…"

"After your father died, Wayne Enterprises set up fourteen different defense subsidiaries. For years, I've been shuttering and consolidating all the different prototypes under one roof. My roof."

"Why?"

"Keep them from falling into the wrong hands."

Mr. Fox led us over to what looked like a garage door and opened it up to reveal a new mode of transportation, since the Tumbler blew up and all in the last movie.

"Oh, now you're just showing off," Bruce commented. I smiled at that. How I had missed those little quips.

"Defense Department projects for tight geometry urban pacification. Rotors are configured to maneuver between buildings without recirculation."

"What's it called?"

"Oh, it has a long, uninteresting Wayne Enterprises designation. I just took to calling it 'The Bat'. And yes, Mr. Wayne, it does come in black. Works fine, except for the autopilot. Takes a better mind than mine to fix it."

"Better mind?"

"Well, I was trying to be modest. A less busy mind. Yours. Or maybe Kris's."

I scoffed. "You're hilarious. I may have some sick computer skills, but this is way out of my depth."

"I think you wouldn't have a problem if you sat down to think about it," Mr. Fox said. "I'll see you tomorrow, yes?"

"Bright and early," I smiled.

The three of us began walking back to the elevator before Mr. Fox stopped us.

"Mr. Wayne, may I suggest something for that leg of yours?" he asked politely.

Oh, finally!

* * *

Bruce was hesitant to use his newfound knee technology for a few days so he just let it sit there. I resumed my work as Mr. Fox's assistant, and it was so nice to be at such a great job again. So much better than my job at home for multiple reasons.

Finally, Bruce caved, and slapped on the brace. Now, while I did want Bruce to get rid of that cane, watching him wear the knee brace really made my stomach squirm. The three of us went down to the new and improved Batcave (I somehow managed to keep my head on), and Bruce put the brace on his good knee so it could configure to that and learn the proper muscle patterns. Then he took the brace off and put it on his bad knee. Now here was the terrible part. He started groaning in pain as it adjusted his bad knee to the better proportions.

"It is really painful?" Alfred asked him.

"You're very welcome to try it, Alfred," Bruce answered. I loved that line.

"Happy watching. Thank you, sir."

The brace continued its job, unaware of how painful it was to the owner. "You need a distraction," I told him. I went up to where he was sitting and firmly pressed my lips to his. I had so missed this sweet sensation. I didn't release him until I heard the brace click, signaling that it had finished hurting him.

I noticed Alfred smiling at us. It was so cute how much he shipped us.

"Not bad," Bruce said as he stood up and could finally walk straight. He turned and kicked a brick wall, dislodging one of the bricks. "Not bad at all."

"If you're seriously considering going back out there, you should hear the rumors surrounding Bane."

"I'm all ears."

"There is a prison in a more ancient part of the world. A pit where men are thrown to suffer and die. But sometimes, a man rises from the darkness. Sometimes, the pit sends something back."

"Bane."

"Bane. Born and raised in hell on earth."

"Born in a prison?"

"No one knows why, or how he escaped. But they do know that once he did, he was trained by Ra's al Ghul, your mentor."

"Bane was a member of the League of Shadows?"

"And then he was excommunicated. And any man who is too extreme for Ra's al Ghul is not to be trifled with."

"I didn't realize I was known for trifling with criminals."

"That was then. And you can strap up your leg and put your mask back on, but that doesn't make you what you were."

"If this man is everything that you say he is, then the city needs me."

"This city needs Bruce Wayne. Your resources. Your knowledge. It doesn't need your body, or your life. That time's past."

"You're afraid that if I go back out there, I'll fail."

"No. I'm afraid that you want to."

I guess I hadn't taken into account how awkward it would be for me to stand there listening to these conversations.

Alfred left, and the two of us were alone in the cave. I needed to fangirl so hard about being in here, but I knew that doing so would have to wait. I took a deep breath and stood next to Bruce. "I, for one, think this city needs Batman," I said softly. "I can understand why Alfred doesn't want you to do this anymore. He's like your father and he's worried about you, especially after everything the doctor told you. But this city needs its hope again and they haven't seen a strong ray of light for eight years. Especially now that they have someone else to fear. Definitely not as bad as the Joker, but they do fear him. And I know that you led a lot of people to believe you killed Harvey, but I'm not one of those people and I don't believe it. Not for a second. And I'm not the only one. I can promise you that."

He looked at me and smiled. "You always did give me uplifting little speeches."

I let out a small laugh. "Who else is going to boost your morale?" I smiled at him cheekily. "So, shall we see if you've gotten a bit rusty?"

"What do you mean?"

"I mean I want to know if you've still got it."

And that's how I found myself in the garden behind the Manor. I had changed into a black tank top and spandex shorts with my hair in a high ponytail and brought a towel and water bottle. Bruce had set up a mat outside for us. My bare feet squished on it as I positioned myself.

"Ready?" he asked.

"Don't hold back."

And our fight began. Bruce was a bit surprised at first at my newfound skill at fighting, but he quickly got over it. Kicks and punches were delivered from both ends. I actually surprised myself when I managed to land in a few successful hits to his chest. He may have been stronger, but I was smaller and I used that to my advantage. After a good bit of time, I was able to get him down on the ground. Unfortunately, while I was distracted by my supposed victory, he wrapped his legs around my feet and I came crashing to the ground where he pinned my wrists to the mat. I looked up at him, both of us breathing heavily.

"Always mind your surroundings," he said. I chuckled lightly. Wonder where he had gotten that from…

I looked into his eyes and kissed him softly. Then I took him by surprise and flipped him over so that I was on top of him. "I win," I laughed.

"You cheated," he smiled. "But I'll admit, you've certainly come a long way since the last time I saw you."

"And you've still got game even though you haven't been in a real fight in years."

We both stood up and I took a drink from my water bottle and wiped the sweat off my face with my towel.

For the next hour or so, Bruce taught me different fighting techniques that would help me improve in a real fight. Heaven knows I was going to need all this when Bane's men took over…and Bruce wasn't here to help me.

Eventually, we headed back in to take a look at what was going on down in the Batcave.

"Thanks for your help," I said as we walked down.

"You didn't need very much of it. I'm impressed."

"Well, I must be good if such a talented fighter like yourself says I'm good!"

Our conversation was interrupted by a newscast coming across his computers. It showed Bane and his henchman escaping from the Stock Exchange.

"Go," I said, giving him a little push. "Now."

"You'll be needing this." He pulled out my old headset I had used during _The Dark Knight_.

"You kept it."

"I couldn't forget all that you did for me."

I smiled and gave him a quick peck on the lips. Then he quickly suited up and took off on the Batpod. I put on my headset, sat down at the computers, and began right where I left off.

I pulled up different newscasts and video feeds and I couldn't help but smile as I watched the return of Batman. He drove along a bunch of roads and it wasn't long before nearly every cop car was after Batman. That infuriated me. They should've been going after those who had actually committed a crime. But no. They had to go after the one who was completely innocent.

I heard a few punches and crashes over the headset, but my vision on the computers had gotten to the point where I couldn't see him. I did hear a bunch of sirens and I knew he was cornered. Well, not really.

I heard an explosion and his engines firing up, and he took off past all the cop cars. They "cornered" him again in an alley. But I knew that he showing the world The Bat.

The engines fired up and it took all I had to not massively fangirl into Bruce's ear.

As he drove off, an alert came across on the computers.

"Remember how you tagged Selina Kyle?" I asked through the headset. "Well, she's in some deep trouble right about now. Get to Dagget's place as quick as you can. She's going to get herself killed."

"I'm on it."

There was the quiet sound of The Bat flying around before I heard, "Stay back! I'm not bluffing!"

"They know," Batman's rough voice said. "They just don't care."

A lot of punches came across my headset. And I mean a lot of punches.

"You've gotta be kidding me," Catwoman said.

"No guns. No killing."

"Where's the fun in that?"

More punches and gunfire rang out across the roof they were on. Then I heard the sound of The Bat firing up.

"My mother warned me about getting into cars with strange men," Catwoman said.

"This isn't a car."

Okay, that was it. I had been able to hold in my fangirling for hours, but that was my favorite line in this whole film. So yes, I fangirled and I fangirled hard, and I'm not ashamed.

There was silence in The Bat until they landed.

"See you around," Catwoman purred (pun intended).

"You're welcome."

"I had it under control."

"Those weren't street thugs. They were trained killers. I saved your life. In return, I need to know what you did with Bruce Wayne's fingerprints."

"Wayne wasn't kidding about a 'powerful friend'. I sold his prints to Daggett. For something that doesn't even exist."

"I doubt many people get the better of you."

"Hey, when a girl's desperate…"

"What's he going to do with them?"

"I don't know. But Daggett seemed pretty interested about that mess at the stock market."

There was the sound of a chopper passing by overhead before Bruce asked, "Miss Kyle?" I smiled as he realized he was alone on the roof. "So that's what that feels like."

Another one of my favorites.

I had actually made a fandub of that scene with my friend back at home, obviously before all this happened. I took Batman and Catwoman's voices out and put our voices in. My friend did a mean Batman voice too. Everyone who watched it loved it. Who knew that I was going to end up living it?

Alfred came down and looked at the screens televising the newscasts about Batman's return with obvious dismay. I loved Alfred to death, and I knew why he wanted Bruce to give up Batman, but he had helped so many people and the city needed a hero. This was just one of those things I didn't side with him on.


	4. Alfred Leaves

The Bat suddenly crashed through the waterfall, and it was a huge test of my control to not completely lose it.

"I see from the television coverage that you got your taste for wanton destruction back."

"I retrieved this," Bruce said, showing us a USB port.

"Aren't the police supposed to be investigating then?"

"They don't have the tools to analyze it."

"They would if you gave them to them."

"One man's tool is another man's weapon."

"In your mind, perhaps. But there aren't many things you couldn't turn into a weapon."

"Alfred, enough. The police weren't getting it done."

"Perhaps they might've if you haven't made a sideshow of yourself."

"You thought I didn't have it in me."

"No, you lead a bloated police force on a merry chase with a load of fancy new toys from Fox. What about when you come up against him? What then?" Alfred pointed to the footage of Bane fighting people at the Stock Exchange.

"I'll fight harder, I always have."

"Take a look. At his speed, his ferocity, his training. I see the power of belief. I see the League of Shadows resurgent."

"You said he was excommunicated."

"By Ra's al Ghul. Who leads them now?"

"Ra's al Ghul was the League of Shadows. And I beat him. Bane is just a mercenary, and we need to find out what he's up to." Bruce plugged the USB into the computer and a ton on numbers popped up and scrolled down the screen. It was every hacker's dream. But not this hacker's. "Trades of some kind. Coded. Kris, can you figure this out?"

"That's out of my league. It would take me months to crack through that. I'm good, but I'm not that good."

"Fair enough." His thumbprint appeared on the page. "And my fingerprint, courtesy of Selina Kyle." He took the USB out and handed it to Alfred. "Get this to Fox. He can crack the code and tell us what trades they were executing."

As Bruce took off his suit to reveal a lovely black t-shirt underneath, I prepared myself for one of my least favorite parts in this movie. But I was curious to see how it would all change because of my presence in this world.

I'm not exactly sure why Bruce in all black or barefoot is such a turn on for me, but it is. So I was understandably mentally freaking out at the sight of him wearing black AND barefoot as he walked through the halls. Those fangirl feelings were quickly extinguished when the conversation started.

"I'll get this to Mr. Fox, but no more," Alfred called down the hall after him. "I've sewn you up, I've set your bones, but I won't bury you. I've buried enough members of the Wayne family."

"You'll leave me?"

"You see only one end to your journey. Leaving is all I have to make you understand. You're not Batman anymore." Speak for yourself. "You have to find another way. You used to talk about finishing, about a life beyond that awful cave."

And here comes the change. I waited with bated breath for what Bruce was going to say, but I knew it would involve me.

"Kris is my life beyond that cave."

There it was.

"I want to be with her, but I've got to take care of these problems first. And it's been eight years since I've seen her last. I need time to adjust to all of these changes. But she said she's staying."

"Not exactly," I mumbled. He didn't hear me.

"So after all of this with Bane is over, we can talk about putting everything behind us."

"What if, before she disappeared last, she'd written a letter?" Alfred said. "Explaining that she would see you again, but she couldn't stay forever?"

Like I said before, I loved Alfred, but this was not how I wanted Bruce to find out about me.

"And what if, to spare you pain and not fill you with false hope…I burnt that letter?"

I expected Bruce to question me, but instead he furiously demanded, "How dare you use Kris to try to stop me."

"I'm using the truth, Master Wayne. Maybe it's time we all stopped trying to outsmart the truth and let it have its day. I'm sorry."

This was so awkward for me. And I felt terrible. I was kicking myself for not explaining everything to Bruce earlier. It was partially my own fault this was happening.

"You're sorry? You expect to destroy my world, and then think that we're going to shake hands?"

"No, no, no. I know what this means."

"What does it mean?"

"It means your hatred. It means losing someone that I have cared for since I first heard his cries echo through this house," Alfred said, his voice cracking. I hated it when men cried. I was just feeling worse by the second. And no doubt the conversation with Bruce following all this wasn't going to be fun either. "But it might also mean saving your life. And that is more important."

There was a painful silence before Bruce practically whispered, "Goodbye, Alfred."

He took off up the stairs, leaving me alone with Alfred. Alfred didn't say a word to me, but just turned and walked off. "Alfred, wait," I called after him. "Please don't do this."

"I know about your obvious feelings for each other. I understand that. But I can't stand by and watch this."

"Please. Bruce needs you more than he's willing to admit. He is broken. And there is only so much that I can do to repair him."

Alfred looked at me with an overwhelming sadness in his eyes. "I'm sorry, Kris."

That was the first time he had ever called me by my first name. That's when I knew I couldn't do anything to change it. We had lost our butler and friend.

I followed Bruce upstairs, eager to get the upcoming conversation over with. I knocked on his door and slowly entered.

"Is it true?" he asked without looking at me.

I heaved a big sigh and nodded. "Yes."

"Why didn't you tell me?"

"I tried to, but I didn't know how. There was just no good time for it."

"You should've found time."

"I know, I really do regret not telling you in person. It's just that when I first got back didn't seem good, then Rachel died, then you were going out of your mind to catch the Joker. So I left you the letter that would explain everything. It's not my fault that it didn't get delivered to you."

"When are you leaving this time?"

"About five months from now."

"That's the longest you've ever stayed."

"I know, and I want to make the most of it. Bruce, I have feelings for you that I have never had for another person before. I've never wanted to leave, but it wasn't really up to me." He didn't say anything, so I continued, "I'm sorry I didn't tell you before. I should've. But I promise, I'll try to make it up to you."

I left the room before he could say anything more. I hadn't planned on all of this…


	5. Board Meeting

The next morning, I awoke to the doorbell ringing throughout the Manor. I quickly got up, threw my hair into a ponytail, tossed on a sweatshirt, and went to answer the door.

Mr. Fox stood there like I had expected.

"You're answering the door for him now?" he asked me.

"Yeah…"

"Is everything okay?"

"It's just—"

I didn't get to finish as Bruce came down the stairs. I didn't miss the look in his eyes when he looked at me, and I don't think Mr. Fox did either. I let him come into the house and he handed Bruce a newspaper.

"Page three. Seems you made a series of large put options on the futures exchange, verified by thumb print. Those options expired at midnight last night."

Bruce looked at the newspaper in horror. The headline read "Bruce Wayne Doubles Down and Loses".

"Long term we may be able to prove fraud, but for now, you're completely broke. And Wayne Enterprises is about to fall into the hands of John Daggett."

"The weapons. We can't let Daggett get his hands on Applied Sciences."

"Applied Sciences is all locked up and off the books. The energy project, however, is a different story."

"Miranda Tate. We need to convince the board to get behind her. Let's show her the reactor."

"We're meeting her there in thirty-five minutes, so you better get dressed." He looked at me. "I'll meet you at the office."

Mr. Fox went out the door and Bruce began to go up the stairs.

"Bruce," I called as I followed him up the steps. "Are you sure you can trust her with this?"

"Yes," he replied shortly.

"What makes you believe that you can?"

"She never stopped backing me up for the last few years. She's remained a very loyal employee."

Of course she has. She was trying to gain Bruce's trust, and more than that, so that he wouldn't suspect her of having anything to do with what happened later. The sad part was that it worked. At least I wouldn't have to worry about him kissing her and taking it a, uh…a step further. Right?

"I know you're worried about all of this, and I get that. I'm just afraid she's not the best person for you to tell this secret to," I said.

"Kris, you don't even know her. You met her once for two minutes. I've known her for years. I'm going to tell her."

I sighed. "I get that you're mad at me and I understand. But please, just listen to me on this."

"It's done, Kris. We're telling her."

I was fighting a losing battle. I got ready and headed over to Wayne Enterprises. Stupid Miranda/Talia.

When I got to Mr. Fox's office, I began preparing everything he needed for his upcoming meeting with the board. A meeting Bruce was going to get kicked out of. Not on my watch.

Mr. Fox came in and board members began to pour in. Bruce arrived last and took a seat at the end of the table.

"Alright, ladies and gentlemen, this meeting will now come to order." I stood at Mr. Fox's side, ready to hand him the necessary documents he would need.

"I'd like to point out that we have a non-board member here," Daggett said. "Which is highly irregular, even if his family name is above the door." Was it possible for me to strangle him? No, even in fictional worlds, there was still a law. Shoot.

"Bruce Wayne's family built this company," Fredricks said. I liked him, always defending the man who needed it.

"And he himself has run it—" another board member started.

"Into the ground, sir," Daggett finished. "Does anybody disagree? Check the share price this morning. Crazy gambling on futures has not only cost Mr. Wayne his seat, it's lost us all a lot of money. And he has to go."

"I'm afraid he has a point, Mr. Wayne," Mr. Fox said. I'm sure there was some reason why he said that, but I never figured out what it was. And I wasn't going to take it.

Bruce stood up to leave and headed to the door.

"Bruce," I said. He turned to me. "Wait." I looked at Mr. Fox and I knew that he could tell what I was going to do. I had the best job anyone could ever have, and I was about to lose it. But I didn't care. Besides, I didn't have much longer here anyway and no one was going to be showing up to work once Bane took over. I turned to the board members. "What is the matter with you?" I said angrily. "Bruce Wayne has done everything he could to do what was best. Everything he's done was done with the best judgment he had. Do any of you realize how much he has sacrificed?"

"Mr. Fox," Daggett said, eyeing me. "I think you should teach your assistants to hold their tongue."

"I'm not finished. This man has done so much. So much that you aren't even aware of. I've seen firsthand the work he has done for this city as a whole, and if you can't see that, then you don't deserve to work here." I turned back to Mr. Fox and used the words he had said to Bruce at the end of the last film. That might've been a little cruel, but I needed him to understand. "Mr. Fox, consider this my resignation. As long as there are people here who don't respect the person who started this and worked hard to keep it going, I won't be." I'm pretty sure I saw a look of admiration, but I might've been imagining it.

I walked over to Bruce and took his arm and walked out with him. When I met Miranda/Talia's eyes, I could notice a…coldness forming in them. I don't think she liked me being so close to Bruce and going to such lengths for him. She was trying her hardest for years to get in with him and now that I was here, that plan was unraveling. Her problem, not mine.

"What was that?" Bruce asked as we left the boardroom.

"I couldn't just stand there and let them say that to you. You have done and lost so much more than they'll ever realize. Hearing them say those things kind of just…sparked a fire. And it didn't exactly want to be put out."

"Why did you do that? You loved that job."

"I told you I was going to make everything up to you. How am I doing?"

"You're on the right track."

I was worried he was still mad at me, but then he smiled and held out his hand for me. Together, we walked out of Wayne Enterprises with our heads held high.


	6. What Breaks First

**Prepare yourself for arguably the saddest chapter in the trilogy.**

* * *

Instantly, reporters surrounded Bruce asking all sorts of questions. He nervously fumbled with his tie, so I gave his hand a reassuring squeeze.

"How does it feel to be one of the people, Wayne?" one asked.

"Mr. Wayne!" a valet exclaimed running up to him. "They're towing your car. I didn't know what to do. They had paperwork!"

The police attempted to hold all the reporters back and away from us.

"Looks like the two of you need a ride, huh?" I heard. I turned to find John Blake motioning us towards his police car. He was really good-looking too. Was it some kind of rule that the main characters in these movies had to be attractive?

Bruce and I left with him and I was forced to sit in the back of the car. It really weirded me out to be in the back of a police car, but I sucked it up.

"You must be Kristina Jacobson," Blake threw back.

"Call me Kris."

"It's nice to meet you in person."

Blake asked Bruce something, but I couldn't make out what it was. But then I heard Bruce say, "She knows."

"You know about his double life?" Blake asked me.

"I'm living in the Manor. I had to find out eventually," I laughed.

Blake then began to make conversation with Bruce. "When you started, why the mask?"

"To protect the people closest to me."

"But you were a loner, right? You didn't have any family. Well, I mean, until Kris came around." I smiled. It was so entertaining to see how all the conversations I knew oh-so-well were changing due to my presence in the story.

"There are always people you care about. You just don't realize how much until they're gone."

I knew he was talking about Rachel. Deep down, I knew that there would always be a part of him that loved Rachel. I had learned to accept that for the most part. I was just afraid that that part of him would never let him completely be with me…and perhaps love me.

"The idea was to be a symbol," Bruce continued. "Batman could be anybody. That was the point."

"Well, it was good to see him back."

"Not everybody agrees."

"They'll figure that out in the end."

"You got anything on Bane's whereabouts?"

"Yeah, I got five hundred pages of tunnel records and a flashlight. I could use some help actually."

"You know what? Drop us in Old Town."

Cool, I'd finally get to meet Catwoman.

When Blake dropped us off, Bruce led us upstairs to where Selina lived. Then we ran into one of the most annoying characters ever created. Jen. A woman who served absolutely no purpose at all to the story.

She tried to hustle us for some money when we went to get into Selina's apartment. Bruce tried to push past her, but she stopped him.

"Hey, hey, hey, I don't think so!" Bruce said angrily.

"We don't owe you anything!" I shouted over top of him.

"That's the way this works!" she answered.

"I don't think so!"

"That is the way—"

"They're not marks," I heard. I looked up to see none other than Selina Kyle. She was such a beautiful woman. She had one of those bodies that other women craved. "And _he_ doesn't have a cent to his name anyway."

Bruce and I followed her into her apartment where she was evidently packing up to leave.

"Yeah, it's not much," she admitted. "But it's more that you've got right now."

"Actually, they're letting me keep the house."

"The rich don't even go broke the same as the rest of us, huh?"

"My powerful friend might hope to change your mind about leaving."

"And how would he do that?"

"By giving you what you want."

"It doesn't exist."

"He says it does. He wants to meet. Tonight."

Wait a second, tonight? Were we really at that point already? No, no, no, I was not ready for this! It couldn't be tonight! I had just gotten him back! I couldn't lose him again!

"Why?"

"He needs to find Bane. He says you'd know how."

"Tell him I'll think about it."

Bruce nodded and turned to leave. "Okay. I like your place."

"Mr. Wayne?" she called. He turned back to her. "I'm sorry they took all your money."

There was a pause, then Bruce answered, "No, you're not." Gosh, I loved hearing all these hilarious lines in person!

We hailed a cab outside (luckily for him, I had better experience grabbing one than he did), and made our way back to the Manor. It began to pour on the ride back. I had a feeling that even though I was here, Miranda/Talia was going to show her face. When we got back, Bruce grabbed a newspaper in the cab and he got out first. I gave some money to our driver and told him, "You may wanna wait a couple minutes before leaving. Trust me."

Bruce held the paper over my head, which didn't really help, but I commend him for trying. When we made it to the door, he tried to open it, but it didn't work.

"Nobody's answering," a voice said. Sure enough, there was Miranda/Talia. "Miss Jacobson."

"Miss Tate," I said with feigned kindness. I think she noticed. Good.

"No, uh, I'm on my own now," Bruce said sheepishly.

"Do you have keys?" she asked with a certain tone in her voice that I recognized immediately. It was the tone women used when they were flirting. Who knew I could hate her more than I already did?

"Never needed them."

Miranda smiled and I wanted to hit her, especially since she was discreetly flirting with him right in front of me. I saw right through that stupid smile. I looked over at Bruce and silently pleaded with him to send her away. He knew I didn't trust her, though I know he didn't really care about that, but I did want to spend time with him alone because…well, a lot of bad things were going to go down soon. Maybe I could try to prevent it. Emphasis on try. But Bruce going to the pit was what helped him gain his strength and confidence back. It's what gave him the power to defeat Bane and "sacrifice" himself to save the city. Would everything really be messed up if I kept him from getting sent there?

So far, I hadn't really proven that I was capable of changing the story like I wanted anyway. Every time I tried to make some kind of plot-altering change, it always seemed to go the same way it did in the movie. Maybe that's why I couldn't stop him from showing Miranda/Talia the reactor. Well, if he got sent to the pit, I at least needed his back to not be broken. He certainly would save a lot of time that way.

I would just have to wait and see how everything went. One of those cross that bridge when I get there things.

Bruce got my silent message and looked at Miranda/Talia. "Look, I appreciate you coming all the way out here, but Kris and I have some things we need to take care of. Don't worry, I'll pay for the cab."

If looks could kill, I probably would've died right there. Seriously, Miranda/Talia looked at me with eyes that sucked my soul out. Again, her problem, not mine.

"You have no money anymore, Bruce. I'll take care of it." I handed her some money and she looked like she was doing her best to not strangle me. To be honest, I was kind of milking it up. She deserved it.

She got in the cab I had made wait and took off. Sayonara, Miranda!

"I guess we have to find another way in," I said to Bruce.

"This way."

He held the paper over my head again and we ran in the rain to another entrance. When we made it in, both of us were drenched.

"Hope you didn't like me for my money," he said to me.

"Of course not. What kind of shallow person would I be if that was the case? I mean come on, I just yelled at a ton of people high up in the business world and lost my job for you. Proof enough?"

This place wasn't the same without Alfred's presence. It seemed different and…empty.

I wrung the water out of my hair then I lifted up the cover on one of Bruce's tables. There was a picture of his parents that he must've salvaged from the fire nine years ago. But I was shocked to find a picture of the selfie we had taken in Hong Kong on the way to the meeting with Lau. He had framed it and kept it where all his most precious pictures were. And then there was another picture of Rachel. I took a deep breath as Bruce came up behind me and put a towel around me. The two of us remained silent as Rachel's face stared back at us.

"Bruce," I finally said as I set the picture down and turned to him. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you."

"I know."

"I miss her too."

Ever so slowly, we drew closer to one another until our lips touched and he kissed me. We began kissing with more fervor as his hand went to my head. Suddenly, the lights went off.

"What happened?" I whispered.

"I think my power's been shut off."

We chuckled and resumed our passionate kissing. I was so in love with this man. If only I could just say it.

I felt his hand on my waist and he slowly began to slide my shirt up. I abruptly ended our kiss and gently pushed him away.

"I'm sorry," he said softly.

I had never thought about discussing with him that I wanted to wait to have sex after marriage. It had just never crossed my mind. I guess I never assumed he would get this far with me.

"Look, Bruce, I do have feelings for you. But this is my first real relationship. Can we just take it slower?"

"Of course. I'm sorry. I didn't mean to overstep."

I smiled and drew him back to me and kissed him again.

We started a fire since there was no heating and both of us were freezing from the rainwater. We changed into some warmer clothes, AKA pajamas, and got under a blanket right by the blazing fire. I don't think I had ever felt safer and closer to him.

"I used to hate sleeping on the floor," I laughed as I finished stoking up the burning logs.

"I'm guessing that's changed."

I set down the stoker and lied back down next to him. "Oh, you've changed me in more ways than one." I tucked my hands under my head and looked over at him. His eyes were so full of happiness and affection towards me. And yes, he was shirtless, and yes, I was trying very hard to keep it together.

I always wondered how Marion Cotillard was able to keep her head on straight when she did this scene with Christian Bale. Let's be honest, who wouldn't be freaking out about getting to be that close to him?

Bruce put his arm around me and pulled me closer to him. I thought I was going to pass out. My face grew so hot, I'm pretty sure it was about to burst into flame.

"The same goes for me," he said, pressing his forehead to mine.

I smiled broadly and we kissed once more. If we could just stay here for hours, I would be happy. This was by far the best time in the entire trilogy for me. This beat seeing him shirtless and doing push-ups, it beat seeing all those iconic lines for myself, it even beat our first kiss. In fact, I was so content, I wasn't even thinking about what was supposed to happen in a matter of hours.

I was exhausted from the events of today. I mean, I had stood up to a bunch of jerks, lost my job, got Bruce back, met Blake and Catwoman, and managed to push Miranda/Talia away. Not to mention that getting caught in the rain earlier in addition to the heat from the fire was making me drowsy. I ended up falling asleep in Bruce's arms. What a perfect thing for a die-hard fangirl like me.

* * *

When I awoke, I smiled as I remembered just exactly where I was. I opened my eyes, and saw that Bruce wasn't next to me.

"Bruce?" I called out sleepily. Then I sat up a bit more and a terrifying thought hit me. "Bruce?" I called more urgently. "Oh, no." I quickly stood up and threw some shoes and a jacket on. "Oh, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no." I kept saying that over and over again as I searched for Bruce's keys. Under the circumstances, I don't think he'd mind if I borrowed his car. I eventually found the key to a Porsche that hadn't been taken from him yet. Racing down to where he kept his cars, I sped off as fast as I could to where I knew Bane was camping out and where Catwoman was leading Batman into a trap. I didn't even bother to think about that fact that I was still in pajamas.

Once I arrived at the tunnels, I leapt out of the car and tried to make it down before it was too late. I knew everyone there knew Batman's identity thanks to Bane's big mouth (um…bad choice of words), so it was okay for me to call him by name. As I got deeper and deeper into the tunnels, I could hear screams and punches. Oh, please don't let me be too late. Luckily, Batman and Catwoman had taken out all the guards so I just walked past their unconscious bodies.

"I am the League of Shadows," I heard Bane say. "I am here to fulfill Ra's Al Ghul's destiny!"

I finally made it to the grate Catwoman was watching from. "Bruce!" I screamed in a panic.

"Kris?" he said as he looked up.

"Ah, how lovely of you to join us, Miss Jacobson," Bane said to me. "You're just in time for the show."

"Please don't do this," I begged.

"Kris, get out of here," Bruce said to me with labored breathing. He tackled Bane, but Bane was able to throw him off.

"You fight like a younger man. Nothing held back. Admirable, but mistaken."

Suddenly, the lights went off all around us.

"Oh," Bane said. "You think darkness is your ally. But you merely adopted the dark. I was born in it. Molded by it. I didn't see the light until I was already a man. By then, it was nothing to me but blinding!" I watched in horror as he grabbed Batman's throat and began to choke him. And there was nothing I could do. "The shadows betray you because they belong to me." He punched him over and over again on the ground until I heard his cowl crack. But that wasn't the last thing that was going to crack…

"Please…" I just barely whispered.

"I will show you where I have made my home whilst preparing to bring justice. Then, I will break you."

No, please don't break him!

Someone tossed Bane a detonator. He pushed the button and the ceiling caved in with a thunderous explosion that made me jump, sending a Tumbler down to where we were.

"Your precious armory. Gratefully accepted. We will need it."

Bane's henchmen crawled out of the hole he had made and began storing up their weapons from where Bruce and I had been just a couple weeks before. Batman slowly and painfully got up. I had never seen him so…weak.

"Ah, yes!" Bane said. "I was wondering what would break first!" He delivered a few more blows to the poor man that sent him into a crumpling heap. "Your spirit…" He hoisted Batman up above his head. No. No, no, no, no, I couldn't handle this. I couldn't do this. Please don't. I can't take it. "Or your body!"

He brought Batman down across his knee and a loud, sickening crack echoed all throughout the place.

"NO!" I screamed at the top of my lungs. Tears filled my vision as I put my hand to my mouth. The man I loved was being nearly killed right in front of me. Bane took off half of his broken cowl and tossed it into the rushing river. Two of Bane's henchmen took Bruce's arms and carried him away. Away from me.

"No. Bruce!" I screamed, banging on the grate. "Bruce!"

"Come on," a female voice said softly. Catwoman. "We gotta get out of here."

I allowed her to take me because I knew she was right. I watched Bruce for as long as I could, unwilling to let him go. When we made it back up to the surface, I leaned against the wall to support myself. I felt like all the air had left me and I couldn't stand any longer. My breathing came in short gasps as the sound of Bruce's back breaking echoed in my head. I had never been able to handle that sound when it was on my TV. So hearing it in person made me just want to puke all over the place.

I could feel Selina staring at me, still in shock herself.

"You did this," I said with venom lacing my words.

"I didn't know that was Bruce Wayne," she mumbled.

"Does it matter? I haven't seen him for years, and thanks to you, I may never see him again."

"I know. And there's nothing I can do to change that."

She walked off, leaving me alone with my thoughts. I numbly climbed back into Bruce's car and drove back to the Manor. When I got out of the car, I felt like I was living in a dream, no, a nightmare. I went back inside and slowly went to Bruce's room to hold on to him.

Once there, the memories were all too much and I crashed onto the floor in violent sobs.

I had lost him.


	7. Coping

When I awoke in the morning, it didn't take long for the events of last night to flood back to me. I put my hand to my aching head and felt like I was having a massive hangover. Not that I've ever had one before.

There was a knock on the Manor door. I went to go answer it and saw that it was Blake. I must've looked terrible, but I couldn't find it in me to care.

"I'm looking for Bruce," he said. "Is he here?"

I took a deep breath and ran a hand through my hair. "No, he isn't. He was…taken."

"By who?"

"Who do you think?"

He left right after I said that and I went back inside. I didn't have much of an appetite, but I knew I needed to eat something. So I forced myself to eat a sandwich.

I went into a state of depression that made my attitude during my four year hiatus look like nothing. I couldn't find the energy to do anything, or see anyone, or anything. I stayed curled up in bed for most of the day as my mind kept going back to that night. It was terrible, and I was mad at myself for letting this happen. I mean, I knew that Bruce was supposed to get taken away to the pit. So why was I acting so depressed all the time? I guess it was because it was so very real to me and I had just gotten back only a couple weeks ago. And by the time he escaped from the pit, we'd only see each other for a couple days before I left again and couldn't come back.

But even still I had known all that when I came here. So why was I acting like this? Thinking about all that made me feel guilty which just made my state worse.

All I could think about was Bruce laying there in that horrid pit, broken and bloodied and in pain. I had no idea how long it would be before his back was fixed, but it had to have been at least a couple months judging by the facial hair he grew after his vertebra got pushed back in, a scene that made me cringe every time. Why couldn't this movie be more specific about how much time passed?

Blake ended up stopping by in the middle of all that.

"How are you?" he asked gently.

"Honestly?" I said as we sat down on a couple of the couches. "I'm a wreck."

"If it makes you feel any better, we have Selina Kyle in custody."

What did it matter? She wouldn't stay there.

"We've both just lost so much," I said quietly, feeling tears coming to my eyes. I had lost all willpower to not cry in front of anyone. I had never felt so vulnerable and weak in my entire life.

"Do you think he's dead?"

"If he's not, he probably wishes he was." The sound of his back breaking came back to me once more and I had to force down the vomit rising in my throat.

"If you ever need anyone to talk to, I'm here." He handed me a card with his number on it.

I nodded, but couldn't say anything. Blake left me alone once more. I rubbed my hands over my face and tried to shake myself out of this state.

It didn't work.

* * *

I hurt my brain over the course of the next few days trying to figure out the timeline of everything that was going to happen. And I was still trying to cope with the fact that Bruce was stuck in a pit with his back broken.

I was making myself some food in the kitchen (I had been forcing myself to eat even though I hadn't had any appetite since that night with Bane) when I felt and heard several explosions. So it was finally time for the bomb to be activated. Thanks a lot, Miranda/Talia.

Bruce's power may have been shut off, and yes I did live without the power as best I could, but with a little finagling with the wires, I managed to get power down in the Batcave.

I hadn't been down here since Bruce had been taken. It just hurt me way too much. Especially seeing the empty place where he usually kept his Batsuit. But I knew this was important, so I sucked it up, and went over to his computers.

I pulled up news coverage that was supposed to be of the Gotham football game. Bane was on the field with a dead Pavel. Thank goodness I had missed that. If I heard another body part crack, I would throw up.

"For one of you holds the detonator!" Bane yelled. "Now, we come here not as conquerors, but as liberators to return control of this city to the people. And at the first sign of interference from the outside world or from those people attempting to flee, this anonymous Gothamite, this unsung hero, will trigger the bomb. For now, martial law is in effect. Return to your homes, hold your families close, and wait. Tomorrow, you claim what is rightfully yours."

As I watched the unfolding newscast, I was filled with more and more despair. I could only picture Bruce watching all this, his face contorted with sadness as he watched the fall of his beloved city. The President showed up on a special conference addressing this whole problem Bane and Miranda/Talia had presented the city with.

That gave me an idea. I had to figure out which channel Bruce was watching. I flipped through all the news channels until I found the one that had the same exact screen I knew Bruce was seeing.

I then looked up where the station was based and immediately drove out to the station's headquarters. Thanks to Bruce's status and technology, I was able to gain access throughout the building until I got to where they were filming the newscast Bruce was currently watching. I was going to get in so much trouble for this. But tomorrow, Bane would completely take over Gotham and release all its prisoners. And I had a feeling he would be looking for me. It was now or never.

I went up the news anchor who was filming this all live.

"Excuse me," she said quietly. "What are you doing?"

"I have to say something extremely important," I begged. "Please."

She motioned for a few security guards to come take me away, so I looked into the camera and said what I had come to say.

"I know you can hear me, I know you're watching. Please don't lose hope. Just stay strong. Don't give up. Keep fighting." I took a deep breath and then I finally said it. "I love you." I had just announced on live television that I loved Bruce Wayne. Sure I didn't say his name, but I'm sure the majority of people who were watching could piece it together. "Please keep fighting. For me." The security guards grabbed my arms and began pulling me away from the cameras. "I love you!" I tossed to the cameras before I was completely out of their line of sight. As the security guards threw me out onto the street, I just hoped with all I had that Bruce had seen that, or else it all will have been for nothing.

* * *

_Bruce lied on the cot down in the horrible pit Bane had brought him to, watching the TV with despair. As if he wasn't in enough agony. He couldn't move a muscle without sending a massive wave of pain throughout his entire body._

_Alfred had been right. He couldn't take on Bane. And now he had left his city to fend for itself while he was who-knows-where with little chance of escape._

_The President left the screen and it went back to the regular news. It took a few minutes before he saw…her. _

_"__Kris?" he mumbled._

_She looked out at the cameras. "I know you can hear me, I know you're watching." She had to be speaking to him. But how did she possibly know he was watching this? How did she even know he was alive? "Please don't lose hope. Just stay strong. Don't give up. Keep fighting." He watched her take a deep breath and then she said the last thing he expected her to say. "I love you."_

_Bruce's heart nearly stopped. She said those words. The words neither of them had dared say to the other. And now he might never get the chance to say them back to her._

_"__Please keep fighting. For me." Some security guards came and grabbed her and began to haul her away._

_"__No," Bruce said to the TV._

_"__I love you!" she called before she was taken from the screen._

_"__No!" He didn't want her to leave. For that brief moment, he was able to see her again. The woman he had feelings for. The woman he had pushed away but who didn't let him go. The woman who saw past what the public saw. The woman he loved._

_Another wave of pain coursed through him. He began to see black dots cross his vision and he soon passed out._

_When he awoke again, he looked towards the TV, wishing Kris was back so he could see her beautiful face again. She wasn't there._

_Her words came back to him. She said she loved him. On TV for all to hear. He had to get back to Gotham. Back to her. She wanted him to fight. She didn't want him to give up._

_With those thoughts, he forced himself to the floor._

* * *

As I left the news station, I took my time walking back to Bruce's car. What if he didn't see it? What if he had been unconscious? What if I had the wrong station?

I remembered how during _The Dark Knight_, I was going to wait for Bruce to say "I love you" to me in case he didn't feel the same if I said it to him. But maybe if he knew that I really loved him, he could find that confidence and strength that he so direly needed to get out of the pit.

I slowly stopped walking and crossed my arms over my chest. I knew Bruce was coming back. I knew he would make the jump three times before he finally succeeded. I knew he would get back to Gotham.

For the first time in probably two weeks, I felt my depression leave me. And it was replaced with overwhelming anger.

They say "Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned". Those words could not have been more true in that instant. I was on a warpath.

Bane took Bruce from me after I hadn't seen him for four years, eight for him. And I could not have been more furious.

Time to get out of my little pity party. No more Miss Nice Girl.

I had roughly four and a half months before Bruce came back if I was correct about the movie's timing. And I was going to use that time as much as I could and prepare for his eventual return. I knew he was alive, and I knew he was going to come back to me. So I was going to give him something to come back to.

* * *

**So there you have it. Kris has told Bruce that she loves him, and Bruce has realized that he loves her back.  
**


	8. Preparations Begin

In the morning, I turned on the news down in the Batcave and there was Bane on almost every channel.

"…a thousand men have languished under the name of this man," Bane said as I caught him in midsentence. "Harvey Dent." He held up a picture of the man I had bonded with four years ago over our shared love of old movies. A man who couldn't bear to lose the woman he loved. A man who let the Joker win. "Who has been held up to you as a shining example of justice. You have been supplied with a false idol." He ripped Harvey's face in half, ironically as it was since he had burned off half of his face. I had been lucky enough to not see that face in person. "To stop you tearing down this corrupt city!" He took several sheets of paper from his jacket. "Let me tell you the truth about Harvey Dent. From the words of Gotham's Police Commissioner, James Gordon." He unfolded the paper and began to read it. "'The Batman didn't murder Harvey Dent. He saved my boy. Then took the blame for Harvey's appalling crimes, so that I could, to my shame, build a lie around this fallen idol. I praised the madman who tried to murder my own child. But I can no longer live with my lie. It is time to trust the people of Gotham with the truth, and it is time for me to resign'."

I watched him with utter loathing. He had stolen everything from me. And now he was taking everything from everyone else too.

"And do you accept this man's resignation? And do you accept the resignation of all of these liars?! Of all the corrupt?!"

Right about now, Blake was berating Gordon for lying the whole time. I guess I could understand why he did it. I mean the streets had been clean in an extremely corrupt city. That must've been nice.

"We take Gotham from the corrupt!" Bane motioned towards one of the Tumblers and it opened up one of its guns from the top. The cameras went nuts as everyone cleared the doors to Blackgate Prison. "The rich! The oppressors of generations who have kept you down with myths of opportunity. And we give it to you, the people. Gotham is yours. None shall interfere. Do as you please."

The Tumbler fired and the doors to Blackgate were blown open. Well, this was the beginning of the end.

"But start by storming Blackgate and freeing the oppressed! Step forward, those who would serve. For an army will be raised. The powerful will be ripped from their decadent nests, and cast out into the cold world we know and endure. Courts will be convened. Spoils will be enjoyed! Blood will be shed! The police will survive as they learn to serve true justice. This great city, it will endure. Gotham will survive."

It was weird to watch that whole speech without the montage of shots in between. My jaw clenched hard. He was right about one thing. Gotham was going to survive. I was too. I'd make sure of that.

Within minutes after this newscast aired, I heard noises above me. Bane's men were looking for me just like I predicted. I heard things falling and no doubt they were trashing the whole place. They'd never find me down here.

I waited a good couple of hours until I was sure they were all gone. When I went back up, the place was a wreck. Well, at least I'd be able to keep myself busy for the next few weeks…

I spent the next few hours trying to repair the damaged Manor. I knew they wouldn't stop though. They'd come back eventually. I spotted Blake's card he had given me and I got an idea.

I dialed him up and waited for an answer.

"Hello?"

"Officer Blake? It's Kris."

"Kris! Are you okay? Where are you?"

"Calm down. Everything's fine. I'm at the Manor. Some guys came in looking for me, but I managed to hide so they didn't find me. Are you okay?"

"No. Bane is officially terrorizing the city. Gordon and I are the only cops left. The rest are stuck in that tunnel."

"Well, I need you to do something for me. Meet me at the Manor. Honestly, there's nothing you can do right now."

While I waited for him, I set up the mat out in the back where Bruce and I had had our sparring session. I then changed into that same outfit. It was chillier since it was towards the end of the year, but it wasn't too bad.

When Blake got to the Manor, I led him out where I had set everything up.

"What's all this?" he asked.

"I need you to help me train."

"Train?"

"I've been taking self-defense for a few years. I need someone to practice with so I'm prepared to fight if I need to."

"Kris…"

"Will you please just do this for me? I'm trying not to get killed here…well, get killed sooner."

"Alright, fine," he conceded. He removed his police jacket to reveal a black shirt underneath. He looked really good in it. Guys just looked good in black. But he was a few years younger than me. Besides, I was taken.

It didn't take Blake long to realize that I was far from a beginner. We fought long and hard, but eventually, I won.

I took a swig of water and wiped off my sweat. "Not bad," I said.

"Yeah, same for you."

"Can I expect you back?"

"I'll try, but I've got to worry about the city first."

"As much as it pains me, right now, I don't think there's really anything you or anyone can do. Bane and the prisoners he released are crawling around Gotham, wealthy people are getting snatched out of their homes, and there's no one powerful enough out there to stop him."

Well, there was one person. But he was thousands of miles away.

* * *

Knowing everything that was supposed to happen when Bruce returned was really helpful with my preparation for it. I knew I had to be ready to fight, I knew he had the huge fire Bat-signal on the bridge (which I intended to have ready for him before he returned), I knew Miranda would stab him, I knew everything.

I pulled out my cell phone and called up a good friend.

"Hello?" a familiar voice said on the other end.

"Mr. Fox?"

"Kris! It's good to hear your voice!"

"Look, I know we didn't exactly part on the best of terms, but I was wondering if you could come by the Manor. It's not exactly safe for me to leave at the moment.

"I'm on my way right now."

I waited for the knock and when it sounded throughout the house, I quickly ushered him in.

"Thanks for coming," I said.

"I'm glad you're alright."

"I have a favor to ask. Do you think you could make something that helps different wounds? Like, keeps it from bleeding too much?"

"What kind of wound are we talking about?"

"A…a knife wound."

"Is there something you're not telling me?"

"Oh, you have no idea. Can you?"

"I'll see what I can do, but as you know, Wayne Enterprises isn't exactly available to me at the moment."

"I know. But believe me, this is really important."

He started towards the door to get working on my request. Before he left, he turned back to me. "You know, Kris, it may have cost you your job, but I really admire you standing up to Daggett like you did."

* * *

_"__Then I will break you."_

_Bruce stood back up, looking more haggard than ever before. There was a determination in him to beat this guy, but it was quickly depleting. _

_"__Ah, yes, I was wondering what would break first!"_

_Bruce charged towards the giant man and once more failed to beat him. Instead he was beaten down to the ground. He was so weak, tired, and in pain. He couldn't go on. _

_"__Your spirit…"_

_Bane lifted him up off the ground and held him high above his head. Bruce struggled to no avail._

_"__Or your body!"_

_Bane dropped Bruce and he fell onto his leg._

* * *

I bolted awake from my sleep with a light gasp right before the sound of the crack of his back.

It had been two and a half months since that fateful night in the tunnels. Two and a half months left to go…

I had since picked up my usual workout. I would do 50 crunches, 30 push-ups, 40 pull-ups, then take a run on the Manor grounds that usually ended up being around 4 miles.

Blake came over often and we would fight. He showed me different moves and I did the same for him.

On the days he didn't come over, I practiced different moves inside the Manor. Sometimes I did them in slow motion to get a more comfortable feel for how my body was supposed to move and feel. I think it was safe to assume that Bruce was healed by now and he was probably training himself as he prepared for the climb. It was almost enough to make me smile as I could picture a montage of the two of us working out and getting our strength back.

It had begun to get colder and colder, but I didn't let that stop my workouts. I still went for a run and I still fought with Blake.

When a knock sounded on the door, I assumed it was him coming over to help me train. It wasn't.

"Miss Jacobson."

"Miranda. What do you want?"

"Where's Bruce?"

"As if you don't know," I answered coldly.

"Actually, I don't."

Of course she did. It was her plan all along after all. She could deny it all she wanted, but she couldn't hide anything from me.

"Bane took him. He broke his back and took him away."

"Do you know where?"

Obviously I did, but I couldn't let her know that. "No," I said.

"You know, Miss Jacobson, it isn't hard to see that you don't like me."

"I could say the same for you."

She didn't answer at first, and I knew I was right. She hated me. "I don't see what I did to make you feel that way towards me."

Oh, I don't know. She's only been flirting with the man I love ever since I got here, had a hand in getting him sent away to a pit with his back broken, and was threatening to blow up an entire city. What would make me dislike her?

"Same here," I said to her. Again, she paused so I continued, "Miss Tate, there's no use lying to me, okay? Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to train. With Bane's men out there, I need to know how to protect myself. Thanks to him, Bruce isn't here to protect me any longer. Now it's all on me. Have a nice day."

I quickly shut the door, not berating myself at all for letting it slam.


	9. Reflections

When I woke up a few days after my little meeting with Miranda/Talia, I was horrendously sick. I had a stuffy nose and a fever and my body was crying out for mercy.

Perfect.

I guess it was to be expected. I mean, I was running around in really cold weather every single day and I didn't exactly bundle myself up very well.

I made myself a cup of tea using the power in the Batcave and attempted to relax. I basically stayed down in the Cave for the next few hours. I'm sure the moisture and dampness in the air wasn't good for my cold, but what else was I supposed to do? Just sit on the couch upstairs and stare at the wall? I don't think so.

I watched some TV with my tea and a blanket wrapped around me when I heard the doorbell ring faintly. It couldn't be Bane's men because something told me they wouldn't ring the doorbell. So I headed back up and saw that it was Blake.

"Whoa," he said concerned. "You don't look so hot."

"What gave it away?" I sniffed. "Yeah, I woke up with a cold."

"Alright, you need to rest immediately. Come on." He stepped inside and directed me to bed. He was right. I was exhausted.

I didn't want Blake doing all this though. I wanted Bruce to be here taking care of me.

I could just picture it. He comes in with some tea and soup. He lies down beside me to keep my chilled body warm. He presses small kisses on my cheeks and lips.

But it's just a fantasy.

I fell asleep pretty fast. When I woke up, Blake was gone and several hours had passed. I looked next to me on the nightstand and saw a bottle of Tylenol with a note from Blake.

'_To help with the fever. I'll come by tomorrow. JB_'

I allowed a small smile to cross my lips. At least I knew he cared. It was cool we had developed such a good friendship. I took some of the Tylenol and my fever began to break. I was still weak, but that was just something that would wear off with time.

I could not let this sickness go on for long. I had to keep training!

I began to feel fine within a matter of days. Blake came over for about an hour to make sure I was okay and then left to go figure out what to do about Bane.

As soon as I was well again, I resumed my training, but now I made sure I had enough layers on when I went for a run.

Blake came over less often but when he did, we continued to fight. We had since moved inside since it had gotten too cold to train outside.

There was one day when Blake and I were fighting when he managed to beat me down onto the mat. He then helped me up and I took a swig of water.

"Let's go again," I demanded.

"Kris, you've been going at this for three hours now. I think you need a break."

"No, I'm fine. Let's go."

"You have been pushing and pushing yourself every single day. You even made yourself sick. You need to take it a bit easy."

"Bane's men are after me!" I yelled. "And they won't stop until they find me. I have to be ready to defend myself!"

Blake looked at me. "That's not the only reason. You're trying to keep yourself busy and focus on your anger all to distract you from what your mind's trying to make you think about."

Was that true? It certainly made sense. Ever since I confessed on TV that I loved Bruce, I hadn't spent much time thinking about him.

"Every time I've brought up Bruce, you find a way to change the subject. Why won't you just stop trying to push those thoughts away?"

I looked back at him and I could feel the walls I had built up over the course of the last three months slowly begin to crumble. "Because if I talk about him," I said, my voice cracking on the last two words. "Then I'll remember how much I miss him." I looked away from Blake, not too keen on letting him see me cry. I had finally gotten him to see me as a tough girl. I didn't want that to go away. But it did, no matter how much I fought it. I put my hand to my mouth as I felt a couple tears make their way down my cheeks. "I miss him so much!"

Blake came up to me and took me up in his arms. I clutched onto his arm so tightly, my knuckles turned white. I hadn't allowed this to happen for so long. It was overdue. Long overdue. Thanks to Blake, my tears finally flowed like they had wanted to for so long.

* * *

_Bruce had begun to build himself up again. He was constantly doing different exercises all the time. What else was there to do? Besides, he had to get out of this place and make that jump._

_With each exercise, he found himself thinking about Kris. He had been thinking about her a lot ever since she had said that she loved him._

_He thought about when he had first met her at the Manor when he returned to Gotham after seven years. _When Alfred had told him that there was a young woman staying in his home, he had felt a bit edgy about having someone around while he put his grand plan to save Gotham into action. But what else was he supposed to do? Toss her out onto the street? It had been almost comical how nervous she had been to meet him. _ He remembered there being this look in her eye like she knew something that he didn't. _

_He thought about them reenacting The Phantom of the Opera in the screening room. Never before had he seen anyone ever do something so unusual and yet so fun._

_He thought about when she had told him her story of what happened to her mom and dad and how she had let herself cry. Something had told him then that she didn't like crying, and yet she cried in his arms all the same. It had almost surprised him to see her open up so much._

_He thought about when he had saved her at the docks on his first night as Batman. He still didn't understand why she had gone to such a dangerous place, but he was certainly glad he had been able to get to her before anyone hurt her._

_He thought about when he had woken up to Kris sleeping next to him in a chair after he had been gassed. She had stayed by his side the whole time, taking care of him while he fought off the effects of it all. That was when he began to have feelings for her._

_He thought about how terrified he had been when she got gassed on her visit to Arkham as the nightmare he had had while gassed himself came back to haunt him. He was just relieved he had gotten to her in time. He couldn't live with himself if he had allowed that nightmare to come true._

_He thought about the moment they had shared in the middle of the remains of what used to be the Manor. When he had kissed Rachel, the spark that he had expected didn't happen and he hadn't been able to explain that._

_He thought about how excited he was to find out she had returned after an entire year. And she had still been the exact same Kris who left._

_He thought about how he had asked her to help him on his nightly excursions and she had agreed without any hesitation._

_He thought about when they had made the trip to Hong Kong together that involved her dressing in a bikini, which she had looked really hot in, and later jumping out of a plane. It was in that country where he had first called her beautiful. But it hadn't been the first time he had thought it._

_He thought about what had happened between them on the balcony at Harvey's fundraiser party. She had looked more beautiful than ever before. He had been infuriated at his dates for putting her down and harming her sense of self-worth. He had made sure that he didn't let that stay that way._

_He thought about how scared he had been when the Joker held her outside the window and then dropped her. Her screams were the most painful things he had ever heard._

_He thought about their first kiss. He had been so angry with her for the things she said about Batman and the fact that she had left for a year without warning him. But then she had said she just wanted to get back to him and that's when he knew. He knew that despite the fact that he had no idea where she had gone or why she had left, the real reason he had been angry was because he had feelings for her and he hadn't been able to tell her.  
_

_He thought about the night Rachel died. She had tried to warn him, but he stopped her, believing that he had everything under control. She hadn't been mad at him. She had just come next to him, sat on the floor, and held his hand tightly._

_He thought about the kiss she had given him before he took off for the final time to catch the Joker. There had been so much more passion behind it than usual. He hadn't had time to think about it at the time, but he ended up thinking back to it a lot after she went missing. It was almost like she knew she wasn't going to see him again._

_He thought about how worried he had been when the Joker said he had taken Kris away from him._

_He thought about the many searches for her, only to come up empty each time._

_He thought about the shock of seeing her again for the first time in eight years. He had believed it to be a dream at first. But when her lips touched his, he knew it was real._

_He thought about their dance at Miranda's party and the warm kiss they had shared during it._

_He thought about how hurt he had been when he realized Kris wasn't staying and she hadn't told him about it. He had been so short with her. Looking back, he should've handled that a lot better._

_He thought about how she didn't like Miranda. Was there really something bad about her? Could he really not trust her? How would Kris know that?_

_He thought about when he had watched her completely throw away her favorite job just to stand up for him against Daggett and the other board members._

_He thought about their kiss when they had just come in from the rain. He had begun to remove her shirt, but she had stopped him. He had felt so horrible for pushing past his boundaries and making her feel uncomfortable. That was the last thing he wanted to do. _

_He thought about how she had fallen asleep in his embrace in front of the fire. She had looked more peaceful than he had ever seen her. Like nothing was wrong with her at all. She had looked so gorgeous, even when asleep. He remembered moving little strands of hair from her face and letting his fingers slowly graze over her perfect cheeks which made his skin tingle._

_He thought about how her voice had reached his ears during his fight with Bane and filled him with dread. He couldn't lose her there. Not to that man._

_He thought about the scream she had let loose when Bane broke his back._

_He thought about her going on TV for all the world to see and telling him that she loved him._

_As he looked at the TV screen, he wanted to get back to his city. It needed saving. But more than anything, he wanted to get back to her._


	10. Wishful Dreaming

_My eyes opened and I was in a familiar cell. I was in Bane's prison._

_My cell door was open, just like everyone else's. I slowly walked out and looked around me. It was strange that I knew this place like the back of my hand when I had never even been here before._

_I was dressed in the blue outfit the prisoners wore. My hair was tied up into a high ponytail. It didn't take long for me to realize that I was the only female in this place._

_I walked around until I found Bruce's cell._

_"__Bruce," I said quietly._

_"__Kris?" he said. His voice was hoarse from the extreme pain he was in because of his broken back._

_I walked in and sat down next to his bed, taking his hand in mine. "I'm so sorry."_

_"__This is my fault. I couldn't beat him."_

_I looked at him sadly and gently squeezed his hand. The kind prisoner from the film came into the cell with us._

_"__You must be Kristina Jacobson," he said to me. I nodded in reply. "Yes, we were told this man's love was joining us." He went to the other side of Bruce's bed and began giving him food and water. The blind doctor in the cell next to us said something in a different language. "He asks how much you would pay us to let you die," the prisoner said to Bruce. "I told him. I told him you had nothing."_

_"__Do it for the pleasure," Bruce rasped._

_"__They pay me more than that to keep you alive."_

_"__Don't think that way," I said to him. "I know you're in pain, but I will not allow you to die."_

_The prisoners outside began chanting. _

_"__He will try the climb."_

_Bruce painfully turned to see what was going on. One of the prisoners tied the rope around his waist and began climbing. Unfortunately, he fell at the same place everyone else did and came crashing down._

_"__Has anyone ever made it?" Bruce asked._

_"__Of course not."_

_The blind doctor said something roughly._

_"__He says there is one who did. A child. A child born in this hell."_

_"__Bane."_

_Wrong. It's Miranda._

_"__An old legend. Nothing more." The prisoner got up and turned on the TV._

_"__Don't," Bruce begged._

_"__Whatever it is they want you to see, it's happening soon."_

_After a while, we watched the TV in horror as Bane came onto the football field and gave his long speech about the bomb._

_Then the president came onto the screen and gave an encouraging talk to the city about staying strong. I looked over at Bruce and the look on his face and the tear coming down from his eye made me feel all kinds of terrible. He winced as another surge of pain coursed through him. I softly ran my fingers through his hair and clutched onto his hand. Before long, he was unconscious. It hurt me so much to see him like this. So broken in so many ways._

_Ever so quietly, I began to sing Siúil A Rún to him. I remembered singing this to him when he had been gassed. That seemed like so very, very long ago. I sang the song to him over and over again. I noticed a few of the prisoners walk by the cell and stay to listen to me. It occurred to me that my singing was probably better than anything that had happened to them in a very long time. Soon, at least fifteen prisoners were sitting outside the cell listening to me sing._

_I continued to run my hand through Bruce's hair and I pressed small kisses on his face._

_"__I love you," I whispered to him letting my head touch his._

_The next day, we watched Bane's speech outside of Blackgate before he released all the prisoners inside._

_It wasn't long before Bruce forced himself out of the bed and onto the floor. He tried to do a push-up but failed miserably._

_The blind doctor said something next to us as the prisoner walked in._

_"__He says you must first fix your back." The prisoner went over to him and the both of us rolled him over._

_"__How would he know?" Bruce asked._

_"__He was the prison doctor. He's a morphine addict who incurred the displeasure of powerful people. Including your masked friend." He grabbed a rope and fashioned it into the tool needed to help Bruce heal._

_"__How?"_

_"__Many years ago, it was a time of plague. Some of the other prisoners attacked Bane. The doctor's fumbling attempts to repair the damage left him in perpetual agony. The mask holds the pain at bay."_

_"__Bane was the child you spoke of? He was born here?"_

_No, it's still Miranda._

_"__The legend is that there was a mercenary who worked for a local warlord. He fell in love with the warlord's daughter. They were married in secret. When the warlord found out, the mercenary was condemned to this pit. But then he exiled him instead. The mercenary understood that it was the daughter who had secured his release. But what he could not know was the true price of his freedom. She took his place in the pit. And she was with child. The mercenary's child. Innocence cannot flower underground. It was to be stamped out. One day, the doctor forgot to lock the cell. But the child had a friend. A protector. Who showed the others that this innocence was their redemption. It was to be prized. The mother was not so lucky."_

_The blind man said something to the prisoner sharply._

_"__This is Bane's prison now. He wouldn't want this story told." I watched in horror with tears in my eyes as the prisoner pulled on the rope and hefted Bruce up as he began crying out from the utter pain. He went over to him and said, "There's a vertebra protruding from your back. It has to be put back."_

_I turned around and squeezed my eyes shut, feeling a fat tear drop to the ground as the prisoner roughly punched Bruce in the back fixing the vertebra. Bruce let out an awful scream that hurt me to my very core._

_"__Stay like this until you stand."_

_I slowly went over to him. His breathing was ragged and I knew he was in a ton of pain. Against my will, I felt more tears form in my eyes at the sight of him. I gently took his head in my hands and softly pressed my lips to his._

_"__Stay strong," I said quietly. "You can do this."_

_He looked up at me with wide eyes. To help distract him, I began singing again. This time, I sang All My Tears, a song we had played at my dad's funeral. Once again, more prisoners came by to listen to me._

_Bruce eventually finally found the strength to stand on his own. He slowly removed himself from the rope while rejecting any attempts from me or the prisoner to help him._

_It was time for him to try the jump for the first time. I watched him climb, and like I expected, he fell down and crashed into the wall when he missed the platform._

_When he came up to me, I slowly walked up to him and enveloped him in a huge hug. We must've stayed that way for well over two minutes, but no around us seemed to care._

_I went to my own cell and sat against the wall hugging my legs to my chest. Bruce came in not long after and sat down beside me. He took my hand in his and we sat in silence for some time. _

_Finally, he said, "I'm sorry you got sent here because of me."_

_I turned to look at him. "It's not your fault. I'm the one who came after you."_

_"__To help me just like you always do. And instead you get taken away from everything you know and sent to this horrid place."_

_"__At least I'm with you."_

_He leaned towards me and we shared a gentle kiss. That night, I went to his cell and lied down next to him on his bed. Obviously, the beds were small, so it was a tight fit, but I managed to get both of us to lay on it comfortably. I rested my head on his chest and then I felt his arm go around me and gently move up and down my arm._

_As I watched Bruce do some sit-ups, the blind prisoner began speaking to him in English. "Survival is the spirit. The soul."_

_"__My soul is as ready to escape as my body."_

_"__Fear is why you fail."_

_"__No, I'm not afraid. I'm angry."_

_Maybe so, but fear was what he needed to get out of here. I watched him prepare to do the jump for the second time. He didn't even make it up to the platform before he lost his footing and crashed into the wall, knocking himself out. Some of the prisoners lowered him down and I supported his head while they helped deliver him back to his cell.  
_

_He woke up with start and gasped heavily._

_"__Shh, shh," I whispered as I rubbed my hand through his hair. "You're okay."_

_"__You do not fear death," the blind doctor said to him. "You think this makes you strong. It makes you weak."_

_"__Why?" Bruce asked._

_"__How can you move faster than possible, fight longer than possible, without the most powerful impulse of the spirit? The fear of death." _

_"__I do fear death. I fear dying in here while my city burns. There's no one there to save it. And I fear leaving Kris alone in this place with no way out."_

_"__Then make the climb."_

_Bruce laughed. "__How?"_

_"__As the child did. Without the rope. Then fear will find you again."_

_It was time for the third and final climb. I walked out of my cell and joined Bruce at the bottom. There was a fire in his eyes that I hadn't seen in long time._

_"__You can do this," I said quietly to him with tears forming in my eyes once more. For some reason, my emotions were heightened here and I found that tears had been coming to me every time I saw Bruce. I hated it, but at the same time, it was also kind of refreshing to not force myself to hold everything in.  
_

_"__I won't leave you here," he answered as he pressed his forehead to mine._

_He gently kissed me as a tear ran down my cheek and when we parted, I whispered, "I love you." Before he could say anything back, I nudged him forward. "Go."_

_He tore himself away from me and very, very carefully began climbing higher and higher. _I watched him as multiple tears slid down my cheeks. _Finally he was at the platform where every man failed. I saw a swarm of bats come out and surround him, forcing him to duck. When he stood back up, he made eye contact with me, even though he was pretty far away from me. I nodded to him and I could just barely see him nod back. __He paused as he stepped to the edge of the platform and looked out to the other one across from him. My hands were clenched into tight fists as I squeezed my pants legs in nervous anticipation. __The chanting from the prisoners around me got louder and faster. I held my breath as he jumped._

* * *

I awoke in the bed in the Manor right as Bruce grabbed onto the second platform. A small smile etched on my face at the thought of him doing that. I always massively fangirled at that part when he finally made it out of the pit.

I held onto that dream as much as I could, especially when Bruce held me close in his bed and all the kisses we shared.

I had been wondering what would've happened if I had been sent to the pit with Bruce. I guess that's what it would've looked like.

At least if I was there, he wouldn't have to suffer through all that without me. But maybe the thought of seeing me again along with saving the city would be just what he needed to get out of there. And if that was the case, then no matter how much I wished I was with him, I was right where I needed to be.

* * *

**This was actually a completely unintentional chapter. I finished the whole story when I was watching _Dark Knight Rises_ with my best friend for the umpteenth time, and I got to wondering what it would've looked like if Kris had gotten sent to the pit with Bruce. Obviously, I couldn't just go and change everything I had already written, so thus this chapter was born! Ironically, it's my favorite chapter in the story! :)  
**


	11. Preparations End

I was in the middle of my daily workout when I heard a noise at the door, like someone picking the lock. My heart started pounding and I attempted to prepare myself if it was some of Bane's men. When the door opened, it was Selina.

"Thought I'd find you here," she said as she entered the house.

"What do you want?" I asked in probably a meaner tone than was necessary.

"Wanted to see how you're doing. Can't be easy losing the man you love."

"Get out," I demanded.

"I know you're mad at me. But you can't just stay holed up in here forever."

"It's not forever. Now get out now."

"Make me."

"Fine." I went after her and I began to fight her. I wasn't used to fighting small women like her, so I quickly lost the fight when she managed to pin my arm painfully behind my back.

"Your anger is making you use poor judgment. Go again."

She released me and we began fighting again. Once more, she defeated me.

"Move your hips with your kicks and punches. You'll deliver them twice as better."

When she released me this time, I heeded her words and calmed myself down to get rid of all my anger. Then when I went to throw some kicks at her, I made sure to rotate my waist with them. This time, I was able to defeat her.

"Very good," she smiled. "But not perfect. You're going to need some help."

"I'll be fine on my own, thanks."

"I know Blake's been helping you. Problem is he doesn't know what it's like to take on these kinds of people. I do. You wanna survive, you're gonna need me."

I stared her down then roughly pushed her to the door. "Come by tomorrow."

* * *

Selina began training me, but she was a much more difficult opponent because she had small size as her greatest strength too and because she had grown up on the streets, she had a lot more hands-on experience. While I disliked her for getting rid of Bruce, I couldn't deny that she really helped me with my fighting skills. She was able to do something Bruce and Blake couldn't. She taught me how specifically to use my small size to win fights.

One day after finishing my workout, I was about to grab some lunch when I heard a small clamor outside. I went to the window and saw two of Bane's released prisoners coming up to the door. I didn't have time to make it to the Batcave, so I knew it was time for me to put all the self-defense training to the test.

The men busted down the door and immediately saw me. "There you are," one sneered. "Bane's looking for you. We have orders to bring you to him."

"Is that so?" I asked confidently. "Well, I'm not going without a fight."

"Suit yourself."

They both came for me, but I stayed true to my words. All my workouts and practices with Blake and Selina paid off. One grabbed me from behind but I lifted up my body and grasped the other man's head with my legs so they were propped on his shoulders. After interlocking my ankles together, I twisted out of the one man's grasp and lifted up my full body onto the other man's shoulders. I easily could've snapped his neck if I wanted to, but I didn't want to hear another body part crack and what would Bruce think if I killed someone?

As I tightened my legs around his neck, cutting off his oxygen, he spun around in circles trying to throw me off. I flipped us over onto the ground and pinned him down. While he was pinned, I grabbed his gun and aimed it at the two of them.

"Get out."

The first man who had grabbed me sneered at me again. "You can't shoot us. You don't have the guts. Or else you would've killed him when you had the chance."

He was right about me not killing them, but he couldn't have been more wrong about me not shooting them. I aimed the gun at his leg and and then shot it, giving him a flesh wound. He screamed in pain and sank to the ground. I then aimed the gun at the other man, but he quickly held his hands up in surrender.

"I said get...out." After the second man helped the first one up, they quickly went to the door to get away from me. "And you tell anyone where I am, I promise you that you will regret it."

They ran out and I could only smile. All that training had certainly been worth it.

* * *

"Kris?" Mr. Fox said over the phone. "Are you alright? Is everything okay?"

"A little break-in, but it wasn't anything I couldn't handle."

"Glad to hear that. I've got what you requested. Is it safe to drop by?"

"Should be. I'll see you in a few!"

I waited for him with anticipation before I finally heard the knock. After making sure it was him, I quickly opened the door and allowed him to step inside.

He held up a small bottle of red liquid. "Pour this on any wound and it will stop bleeding and begin cauterization. It's extremely painful, but it does the trick."

"You are incredible. I can't thank you enough for this."

"You gonna tell me why you needed it?"

"Let's just say with Bane's men lurking around, I or someone else might be in need of it."

"Well, if you're all taken care of, I'm needed down at the bank with the police."

…Were we really that far along already? It seemed like just yesterday I was watching Bruce get taken away from me. If we were here, then…it may not be much longer before I see him again!

"Be careful. And thank you again." He went out the door, but before he left, I called, "Mr. Fox? Miranda might not be who you think she is. I'd be careful around her."

I closed the door before he could question me. Better to just leave him there with that.

* * *

_This was it. Bruce was making the climb for the third and final time. The question was would he be dead or alive at the end? _

_He was determined to make that jump. If he didn't, Gotham was lost and Kris was alone. After she had done so much for him._

_As Bruce approached the bottom of the wall, his heart began hammering fiercely in his chest. Never before had he feared death so much._

_He climbed higher and higher before he made it to the impossible part of the climb. The jump. The jump that only one person had ever made out of the hundreds who had tried it. He looked up at the sky. It was so close, he could feel the warm sunlight on his face. So close and yet so unattainable. _

_No. He couldn't think that way. He could make this jump. He had to if he ever wanted to see Kris again._

_The chants below him got louder and louder each time they said it. Deshi Basara. Rise._

_A swarm of bats suddenly flew around him and threatened to make him lose his footing. But to him, they greeted him like an old friend. This was it. Now or never. _

_He looked over at the stone that seemed just out of reach. He closed his eyes, his heart beating faster than ever before._

_"__I love you, Kris," he whispered._

_Then he jumped._

_And he made it._

_He finished the climb and crawled out into the sunlight for the first time in months. As he looked out at the land around him, he had never felt such euphoria. He was free._

* * *

The wait was destroying me. Because Mr. Fox had told me where we were in the movie, I was losing it. I wasn't just losing it, I was falling apart at the seams. Bruce was coming back soon. I was going to see him again. It had been so very, very long. My heart began pounding every time I thought about it. I attempted to distract myself with my workouts, but it was useless.

Blake had stopped coming over to help me train. Honestly, I knew that was going to happen, and I was at that point where I didn't need his help much anymore. Now, it was up to me.

It was any day now that Bruce would return. Maybe even today.

I knew one thing. I had been stuck in this Manor for months, having only left once during all of this to take care of a little…something Bruce would need when he got back, and I had to get out of here. For the first time in a while, I dared to venture past the Manor grounds.

The snow blanketed the city making it pure and clean, as if mocking the events that were happening within.

I walked silently through the empty streets, nervously looking around to make sure no one was spying on me.

Just when I thought I was fine, some creepy guy stepped out from the shadows. If only he knew what I had been through. I was done playing around.

"It's dangerous out here with Bane running this place. Want me to keep you safe, pretty lady?" he sneered.

"If you know what's best for you, you'll stay away."

"Oh, I like a girl with fire inside of her."

He came towards me, so I kicked him in the gut and elbowed him in the face. When he went down on the ground, I sent another swift kick to his face knocking him unconscious.

"You sure about that?" I mumbled.

I began to walk forward when I heard, "You've certainly improved."

Impossible. Was it time already? I looked over, and there he was. Walking towards me, back healed, looking like a whole new person.

Words could never describe the sheer elation I felt at the sight of him. I ran to him as fast as I could and I jumped on him, wrapping my legs around his waist and squeezing my arms around his neck. One of his arms snaked around my waist to support me while the other went to the back of my head and intertwined into my hair. I could feel his head press on the nape of my neck and I felt him taking deep breaths, as if he was breathing in my scent.

After what seemed like forever, he finally set me down and I looked up into his eyes. "I never stopped hoping."

"Did you mean what you said on TV?"

I looked at him, trying to think about what he meant. Then it hit me.

The newscast. He had seen it.

"Of course I did," I said tenderly. "With all my heart."

"I love you too."

Holy. Crap. Bruce. Wayne. Just. Said. He. Loved. Me.

All the moments I had spent fangirling during my time in these movies were nothing compared to how I felt in that moment right there. Bruce freaking Wayne said he loves me! Me, an ordinary little nobody who doesn't even belong in this world! He loves me! Kristina Jacobson!

"Just kiss me," I mustered out.

He obeyed. For the first time in five months, our lips touched, this time as two people whole-heartedly in love with each other.

* * *

**I know a lot of you have been waiting for this moment. ;)**


	12. Back in the Game

The two of us walked along the streets, hands intertwined to go find Selina Kyle. My face was absolutely radiating and beaming all at once and no matter what, I could not get the smile off my face.

Bruce Wayne loves me. He really loves a fangirl like me.

We eventually found Selina beating up a couple of thugs trying to hurt a little boy for stealing an apple from them. She stole the apple back and gave it to the boy after taking a bite from it. The boy ran off as fast as he could as Selina watched him go.

"You're pretty generous for a thief," Bruce called to her.

She turned around, eyes wide at the sound of his voice. "I thought they killed you."

"It's not as simple as you would think to kill Bruce Wayne," I smiled.

"If you're expecting an apology—"

"It wouldn't suit you," Bruce said. "We need your help."

"And why would I help you?"

Bruce pulled out something resembling a USB. "For this. 'Clean Slate'."

"You trust me with that? After what I did to you?"

"I'll admit I was a little let down. But I still think there's more to you. In fact, I think that for you, this isn't just a tool, it's an escape route. You want to disappear. Start fresh."

"I can't even get off this island."

"I can give you a way off. Once you get us to Lucius Fox. I need you to find out where they're holding him and take us in."

"Why do you need Fox?"

"To save this city."

"Who says it needs saving? Maybe I like it this way."

How could anyone possibly like the city this way? I mean, sure the rich people she loathed so much were switching places on the totem pole, but even still…

"Maybe you do," Bruce continued. "But tomorrow that bomb's going off."

"Got your powerful friend on the case?"

"I'm trying. But I need Fox."

Selina suited up and showed us where we could get "caught". We pretended to try to sneak around them, but they saw us, like we wanted them to, and held guns to our heads.

"Hands up!" one of them screamed. We cautiously obeyed them.

"Okay, you got me," Bruce said. "But let her go."

"Oh, is this your latest girlfriend? I'm sure Bane will be happy to see her."

Oh, crap. I had forgotten all about Bane wanting me. I guess when Bruce said he loved me, everything after that kinda just…didn't exist anymore. Well, we'd just work around that problem when the time came.

Bags were tossed over our heads and we were lead away to where Mr. Fox was being held.

After a long time of walking blindly, one of them said, "Find these two a spot. They've got a big day tomorrow."

"We all do," the other one said. "It's not every day you bag Bruce Wayne and his little tramp."

Because we were in a desperate time, I would let that comment go.

Mr. Fox pulled the bag off my head, then Bruce's.

"Bruce," Miranda/Talia said as she leaned down to his eye level. She didn't even look at me. I really didn't care.

"You okay?" he asked. Uh, she was more than okay. She's the one who planned all of this! And everything was working!

I did notice something weird. Bruce was looking at Miranda a lot differently than the last time he had seen her. Almost like he didn't trust her anymore. Maybe during his time in the pit, he had thought about what I had told him about her and he understood?

"Picked a heck of a time to go on vacation, Mr. Wayne," Mr. Fox said.

"How long until that core ignites?" Bruce asked.

"That bomb goes off in twelve hours."

"Unless we can reconnect it to the reactor."

"Can you get Miranda out of here?"

Deep breaths. She was about to be revealed soon. Just wait it out.

"Not tonight," Bruce said. "I'm sorry."

She nodded in understanding. "Do what's necessary."

Oh, COME ON! "Do what's necessary"? That was another thing Ra's said to Bruce. Clue number two that she was really Ra's Al Ghul's daughter!

"Tonight I need you," Bruce said to Mr. Fox.

"What for?"

"To get us back in the game."

"Sorry to spoil things, boys," a familiar voice said with the click of heels sounding out along with it. "But Bane wants these guys to himself."

Bane's men hoisted me, Bruce, and Mr. Fox to our feet.

"I won't forget about you, Miranda," Bruce said. There was a certain tone in his voice that sounded like…he was kind of brushing her off. I was completely okay with that.

"I know," she said quietly. She didn't say that the same way she did in the movie either. It sounded like she was hiding agitation, which she probably was. She really did not like me. Well, I didn't like her either so I guess it evened out.

When she met my eyes, there was that hate again. I couldn't help but give her a nice big smirk. It was me Bruce was taking with him. Not her. Because he loved me. Not her.

Once we were far enough away from the place where all the hostages were, Selina kicked down all of the thugs holding us. I may have helped her a little bit. Not much, but a little.

Mr. Fox was supposed to say something about liking Bruce's girlfriend, but thanks to my intrusion in the whole story, that line didn't happen. Oh well.

The three of us headed to the previous temporary Batcave where Mr. Fox was still holing up a bunch of his equipment.

"Any move I make on Bane or the bomb, the triggerman sets it off," Bruce said as a wall opened up revealing all sorts of tools.

"Well, they won't use radio or cell," Mr. Fox told him. "Too much interference. Infrared doesn't have the range. It'll have to be a micro-burst. Long wave."

"Could you block it?"

"Yes. But I'll need the EMP cannon-guidance mount from The Bat. Remember where you parked?"

Bruce smiled and nodded and then his "backup" Batsuit rose up from the floor. Boy was it good to see that thing again.

We went up to the roof of one of the buildings in the city where The Bat sat for us in waiting.

"She fly okay?" Mr. Fox asked.

"Yeah, even without the autopilot, thanks," Bruce answered. I hid my smirk well. I knew perfectly well that Bruce had fixed the autopilot before he was taken away to the pit.

"Autopilot? That's what you' re there for!"

Bruce turned to me. "Kris, stay with Fox or get back somewhere safe."

I smirked again and shook my head. "If you think I'm letting you out of my sight again, you're crazy."

"Is there any way I can convince you not to come?"

"Not at all. Don't worry about me. I've been in constant training since you left. Oh! I meant to tell you…I did a little something for you." I reached into the pocket on the inside of my jacket and pulled out a flare. "When you're ready to give this city its hope back, light this at the bottom of the bridge."

I could see in his eyes that he understood what I meant. "How did you know I'd be coming back?"

"Because I believed in you. Even when you didn't believe in yourself."

Not to mention that I knew everything that was supposed to happen...but that sounded a lot deeper.

Mr. Fox got everything he needed and headed down to where the fusion reactor core was so he could go fix it. Meanwhile, Bruce got suited up and I thought I was going to explode from seeing him in his full armor for the first time in so long.

"Welcome back," I smiled.

We got into The Bat and flew low to where Gordon and his men were being forced to walk across the ice thanks to the lovely "Judge" Jonathon Crane.

I waited a little for him to get things moving then hopped out and watched as my creation came to life on the Gotham Bridge. The symbol of hope.

Gosh, it looked so much cooler in person...

When Batman finished talking with Gordon, I followed him to the trench where some of Bane's men were about to shoot Blake. Without warning, we both hopped down from the side and began to fight the men while Blake did the same.

Then he just stopped and stared. I knew he couldn't believe that Bruce was alive. And probably that I was fighting by his side. I nodded towards him with a broad smile on my face.

"You missed a spot," Blake said.

Batman kicked the remaining conscious man in the head and fixed that problem. "If you're working alone, wear a mask."

"I'm not afraid to be seen standing up to these guys."

"The mask is not for you. It's to protect the people you care about." He opened up one of his Bat-mines and handed it to him. "Count to five then throw."

He and I raced off and got back into The Bat. He flew it to the tunnel opening and fired, removing all the rubble from it and freeing the cops inside.

"What now?" Blake asked when we got back out of The Bat.

"All-out assault on Bane. But you need to get the people across the bridge."

"Why?"

"In case we fail. Lead an exodus. Save as many lives as you can."

"You don't need me here?"

"You've given me an army. Now go."

"Hey, thanks."

"Don't thank me yet."

"Well, I might not get a chance later. Oh, and Kris, good luck out there."

"You got it," I said with a small smile. I turned to Bruce. "Alright, step two. Let's go get Selina's help."

We found her with ease and led her to where Bruce was keeping the Batpod.

"You shouldn't have," she said.

"The mid-town tunnel's blocked by debris," Bruce explained. "But the cannons have enough firepower to make a path for people. Wait until the fighting begins."

"You're gonna wage a war to save your stuck-up boss?"

Selina basically completely redeemed herself in my eyes with those words. At least we had a common enemy in Miranda/Talia.

"To start it, throttle—"

He was cut off by the turn of the engine in it, signaling she had pretty much gotten it down already.

"I got it," she said shortly.

"We have forty-five minutes to save this city."

"No, I've got forty-five minutes to get clear of the blast radius because neither of you stand a chance against these guys."

"With your help, we might."

"I'll open that tunnel, then I'm gone."

"There's more to you than that."

Selina paused and thought over what he was saying. It wouldn't be now, but eventually she'd realize he was right. Good thing too because Bane would kill Bruce if she didn't show up and kill Bane first. "Sorry to keep letting you down. Come with me. Save yourselves. You don't owe these people anymore. You've given them everything."

"Not everything. Not yet."

Selina took off on the Batpod while Bruce and I went back to The Bat.

Just as I was about to hop in, I heard Bruce scream, "Kris!"

I turned around to find one of Bane's men right on top of me. He rammed my knee with his foot, and I crumpled to the ground. It hurt, but I knew he hadn't injured me in any way. But then he rammed his gun into my shoulder and white-hot searing pain coursed through me. Tears formed in my eyes as a reflex to the unimaginable pain that I had never experienced before. Bruce easily took down my attacker within seconds. Then he quickly came over to me and helped me stand up.

"I…I think he dislocated my shoulder," I said in a strained voice.

"I'll have to pop it back into place. Ready?"

I nodded and I could feel his hands touch my shoulder sending a wave of pain through me.

"One…two…three!"

I let out a scream as he pushed my shoulder back into place which I think was the most painful experience I have ever gone through. But instantly, it did feel much better. Besides, there was nothing else to do to fix it.

"Are you alright?" he asked me.

"I'm fine," I gasped. "Thank you." Once all the pain subsided, I looked over at him. He was silent and I knew something was off. "It's okay to feel scared, Bruce."

He looked over at me. He could deny it all he wanted, but I saw it in his eyes. "How many more people are going to die because of me?"

"Those people died because someone like Bane cannot let go of his past and wants to make it everyone's future."

"I let my arrogance get the better of me and because of that, I lost the most important thing to me: you."

I gently turned his head and forced him to look at me. "You never lost me."

* * *

**Only one more chapter to go!  
**


	13. It All Ends Here

When morning came not long after that, we took The Bat and flew to where the cops were about to clash with the prisoners who now controlled the city. Just as the Tumblers were about to fire into the huge group of cops, The Bat flew down and stopped the line of fire rendering all the Tumblers useless. I looked down as the cops ran towards the prisoners and vice versa. Just like a real war, they clashed together and they clashed hard.

Batman touched The Bat down to the ground and we both got out of it. He looked over at me as we prepared to go out into the middle of all of the fighting and finally stop Bane. And Miranda/Talia, but I was the only one who knew that part.

"Ready?" he asked.

I smiled at him. "Don't hold back."

Together, we pushed ourselves into the crowd of fighting and it didn't take long for the both of us to start getting attacked by various criminals. Thanks to my months of training, plus the four years I had spent at home, I was able to shake off everyone who attacked me. I did have to make sure that I didn't suffer any more blows to the shoulder because it couldn't go through that twice. In between my fights with random people, I looked over at Bruce and saw him going higher and higher on the steps to City Hall. I may have cheered a bit too loud when I saw his gauntlet swipe across Bane's mask, breaking one of the tubes.

They were almost in City Hall. I had to get in there. I quickly raced up the steps, fighting everyone who tried to stop me. I was so beyond done playing around.

I got up to the doors right as Miranda/Talia was behind him.

"Bruce!" I screamed bursting through the doors…and saw Miranda stick her knife in Bruce's side.

"I am."

"No!"

I tried to run up to him, but one of Bane's men who mysteriously appeared out of nowhere stopped me and pinned both my arms behind my back. I tried to wriggle out of his grasp, but he was pretty strong and he was hurting my shoulder, not to mention I was distracted by the sight in front of me.

Miranda looked at me with a coy smile then looked back at Bruce. "And though I am not 'ordinary', I am a citizen." She revealed that she had the trigger and positioned her thumb dangerously close to the button.

"Miranda?" Bruce said in a strained voice. "Why?"

"Talia. My mother named me Talia before she was killed. The way I would've been killed if not for my protector. Bane." She began to fix Bane's mask to put him out of his agonizing pain. "I climbed out of the pit. I found my father and brought him back to exact terrible vengeance. But the prisoners and the doctor had already done their work to my friend…my protector. The League took us in. Trained us. But my father could not accept Bane. He saw only a monster. His very existence was a reminder of the hell he'd left his wife to die in. He excommunicated Bane from the League of Shadows. His only crime was that he loved me. I could not forgive my father. Until you murdered him."

"He was trying to kill millions of innocent people," Bruce mustered out.

"'Innocent' is a strong word to throw around Gotham, Bruce. I honor my father by finishing his work. Vengeance against the man who killed him is simply a reward for my patience and having to put up with that…ridiculous woman you seem to have such feelings for."

"Kris was right about you."

Talia smirked. Bane began to tie a rope around Bruce's neck with the full intention of killing him. "She nearly ruined my plans. I spent so long trying to get close to you and fully earn your trust. She tried to stop me from gaining that trust. But even though you loved her, you couldn't totally believe her and you still trusted me. You see, it's the slow knife, the knife that takes its time, the knife that waits years without forgetting, then slips quietly between the bones…that's the knife that cuts deepest."

"Please…"

She hit the button on the trigger…but nothing happened.

"Maybe your knife was too slow," Bruce said.

One of Bane's men ran into the room. "The truck is under attack."

"Gordon," Talia growled. "You gave him a way to block my signal. No matter." She ripped the knife out of Bruce's side and he gave a cry of pain that made me flinch which resulted in the man's arms tightening their hold on me. "He's bought Gotham fifteen minutes."

Fifteen?! Wasn't it supposed to be eleven? Oh boy…I really hoped I hadn't completely messed everything up…

Talia stood up and looked at the man. "Prepare a convoy. We must secure the bomb until it detonates." She looked at Bane. "Don't kill him. I want him to feel the heat. Feel the fire of twelve million souls you failed." She went up to Bane and gently touched his mask. "Goodbye, my friend."

From that moment of interaction, I could see why so many people shipped them. But actually here living it, I could not ever imagine why someone would write fanfiction for them.

She looked over at me. "Her," she added icily as she began to walk out. "Her you can kill."

The man holding me tightened his grip on my arms even more and I could tell Bruce just wanted to absolutely fall apart.

But he was not about to lose me too. Not yet anyway.

I turned my head and looked right into the man's eyes, giving him my best poor-little-girl face. "Please," I said softly. For a second, I could see a flash of compassion cross his face, but it was gone as soon as it appeared. I turned back around not expecting that to really do anything for me.

Bane came over to me and my heart began pounding. Even with all my training, I would never in a million years be able to beat him. He took his hand and rubbed it across my cheek. I moved my head in disgust, but his hand stayed there.

"You've certainly been a lot of trouble for us," he said to me. "I'll deal with you later." He went back over to Bruce. "We both know that I have to kill you now," Bane said to him. He kicked Bruce and knocked him to the ground. "You'll just have to imagine the fire!"

Without warning, a huge blast killed Bane in an instant and there was Catwoman at the entrance with the Batpod.

"About the whole no-guns thing? I'm not sure I feel as strongly about it as you do."

Now that I had the man holding me thinking I was a defenseless weakling, I bent over and then slammed my head back into his. This allowed his grip to loosen just enough for me to turn around and deliver a very hard punch to his face.

I then ran over to Bruce lying on the ground and after taking the rope off his neck, I took out the vial from my jacket.

"Here. It's something Fox made. It'll stop the bleeding and cauterize the wound."

"Where did he get that?"

"Fox can do a lot in five months. Brace yourself because this is really gonna hurt."

I opened the vial and poured the red liquid over the stab wound Talia had left. Bruce began screaming from the pain and I felt awful, but this was necessary unless he wanted to bleed out. Why the movie never addressed that problem, I'll never know.

Mere seconds after the liquid came in contact with his injury, he was up and moving.

"We have to force that convoy east to the entrance of the reactor," Bruce explained. He looked at Selina. "I need you on the ground. We'll be in the air. Go."

We got back into The Bat while Catwoman took off on the Batpod and went after the bomb to try to get it to Mr. Fox. Tumblers shot at us, but they had no impact. Selina came by and blew them up for us so they were out of our way and we could focus on the truck.

One of the surviving Tumblers sent missiles after us and I knew what was coming. Bruce flew higher and higher above the city and weaved in between several buildings.

"Do you trust me?" he asked.

"Always."

He soared over a building and did a 360 turn which may have just been one of the coolest things ever. He lost the missiles by making them land on a different target and we were back onto the truck's path.

Bruce got in front of it and shot at it over and over again. He finally delivered one huge round and it made the truck Talia was in miss the road and go careening onto the lower level, killing her. Ironically, it was quite similar to how her father died…

Bruce and I landed again and rushed over to the truck.

"Fox showed me how to override the reactor," Talia smiled weakly. "Including the emergency flood. There's no way this bomb will be stopped. Prepare yourselves. My father's work is done."

Oh, no. I wasn't letting her die yet. "Hey, Talia," I said as I stepped up on the truck. I gave her a very hard punch in the face that left an instant bruise. Her eyes then closed forever.

I stepped and looked at everyone's shocked expressions.

Out of earshot of Gordon, I said to Bruce, "I've wanted to do that ever since I saw her flirting with you."

"I'm sorry I didn't listen to you."

"I can understand why you wouldn't. Don't worry about it."

When we looked at the bomb, there were four minutes left on it. It was supposed to only be two. Well, that meant that I had two minutes to spare to tell Bruce what he needed to know.

"What are you doing?" Gordon asked.

"I can get it out over the bay," he answered.

"Set it to fly out over the water, then eject?" Catwoman said.

"No autopilot."

Bruce hooked up one piece to another in his attempt to save the city.

"Listen to me," I said. "There's something you need to know. I've left, but I've always come back right?"

"Not the time, Kris."

"You need to hear this. It's important."

"I've got to do this now."

"Just shut up and listen to me for once!" I yelled. Now finally having his attention, I said, "This time, I might not be coming back."

"I won't be either."

"No, stop. I know your whole plan and I know you're going to survive this. I've always known. I knew from the first moment I met you that you were going to become Batman. I knew what was going to happen when I followed Rachel to the Narrows. I knew that your house would burn down. I knew what the Joker was going to do to Harvey." Bruce was looking at me with an emotion I couldn't quite place, but it was breaking my heart all the same. "I know Bane took you to a pit where escape was nearly impossible. I know that there was a prisoner in there who pushed in the protruding vertebra in your back. I know that you tried three times to escape before fear finally found you and you could make that impossible jump from one platform to another. I've always known everything."

"How did you…?"

I gave a dry laugh. "It's complicated. I don't know if I'll see you again because it's never my choice to leave or to come back. But know that I will never stop fighting to get back to you. I love you with everything that I am."

I grabbed his cowl in my hands and threw my lips onto his.

"I love you," I whispered.

"I love you too," he said, completely dropping his Batman voice.

He took off and hopped into The Bat. I looked at the timer and saw we were back on schedule.

"I never cared who you were," Gordon said to him.

"And you were right," Batman answered.

"Shouldn't the people know the hero who saved them?"

"A hero can be anyone. Even a man doing something as simple and reassuring as putting a coat around a young boy's shoulders to let him know the world hadn't ended."

The cockpit closed and I watched in tears as he took off. Would this really be the last time I ever saw him? The man I loved?

"Bruce Wayne?" Gordon murmured.

After less than a minute, we all heard the bomb go off clear of the city. I looked away from Gordon and Selina and began walking away.

As I walked on, I could hear everyone cheering. Of course I was glad they were safe, but I was miserable that I wasn't going to see Bruce again.

I felt a tear slide down my cheek, but I quickly wiped it away.

"Do you wish to stay?"

I spun around at the sound of someone's voice. There stood a man dressed in all black. He looked kind of business-like and very serious, like he had never had a single fun thing happen in his entire life.

"What are you talking about?"

"Do you wish to stay?" he repeated.

The only thing I could assume he was talking about was my leaving to go back home. "More than anything."

"So be it." He turned and began to walk away.

"Wait!" I called. "What do you mean 'So be it'? Who are you?"

"It is done."

"What? You mean…you mean I can stay? I'm staying?"

He gave me a simple nod and I put my hand to my mouth.

"Thank you!" I squealed and I took off to go do what I had to. I needed to find a way to get a message to Bruce.

There was a huge problem though. I had absolutely no idea how exactly he managed to survive that bomb blast and what he did after that. Everyone thought he was dead, yes, but I knew he wasn't. He was supposed to be going to Italy with Selina. I had a feeling my presence wouldn't exactly let that happen right away. I had to figure out a way to get to him. I had to let him know as soon as possible this new turn of events.

Not knowing what else to do, I returned to the Manor. I figured that he would have to come back here eventually. After all, he needed clothes and some way to get in contact with Selina and other stuff.

That was pretty much all I had anyway.

So there I was in the Manor waiting for someone who may not even show up.

But then I saw him. Walking up to the house. I opened the door and stood at the bottom of the steps. Eventually, he looked up and froze at the sight of me.

"Hi," I said softly. Poor thing. He looked more haggard than I had ever seen him before, but at the same time, it was like so much weight had been lifted off his shoulders.

"What are you doing here?" he asked just as quiet.

"I always told you that it was never my choice on whether I could leave or not. But this time…it is."

"Do you mean you're…"

"Yes, Bruce," I said with a small laugh. "I'm staying."

We ran to each other and he lifted me up into the air and spun around with me. We laughed together as he kept going in circles. When he set me down, we looked deep into each other's eyes. I saw only love for me in his and I'm sure the same went for him. I kissed him hard and passionately, not releasing for quite a while as I took in the fact that I could stay with him forever.

I never did find out who that man on the street was. To be honest, I didn't care in the slightest. Because of him, I was able to stay with Bruce Wayne, the man I loved.

If someone had told me a few years ago that a die-hard geeky fangirl like me with no life would end up with the very person I fangirled over for a few years, I would've been offended that they were making fun of me. But here I was with that same person, who loved me despite the fact that I wasn't Rachel and I didn't even belong here in the first place.

As we walked into the Manor hand in hand, I realized that from here on out, I didn't know what was going to happen any longer. I would no longer be able to plan out every little thing.

But I didn't care. After all, unpredictability is the best thing about life.

* * *

**What a bittersweet moment this is for me! I've never stayed with one OC for so long, and I've gotten really attached to Kris, so it's sad for this to be over!  
**

**Special thanks to Wildheart75, rapunzel101, love93, Crystal-Wolf-Guardain-9, grapejuice101, TheRealTayler13, Jessica. Winchester .1995, and of course, nycsinger16 for being such loyal followers of all three stories and for their incredible reviews!  
**

_**The Dark Knight**_** forever!**


	14. Epilogue

**Because I couldn't resist...**

* * *

Bruce ended up taking me to Italy where he was supposed to go with Selina. I preferred it when he took me. It was strange to be somewhere other than Gotham and know that we didn't plan on going back there.

So far, Bruce had taken me to see the Colosseum, the Pantheon, the Sistine Chapel, and the Leaning Tower of Pisa. I had never been overseas before except for when we went to Hong Kong (but there hadn't been time for sight-seeing on that one), so getting to see all these cool places was really incredible. Plus, I was seeing them with Bruce Wayne. If that doesn't make sight-seeing a thousand times better, I don't know what does!

Bruce was apparently only well-known in Gotham City. Hardly anyone recognized him at all, and if they did, they certainly didn't let on that they did. I can't even begin to explain how refreshing that was. People were always snapping pictures of Bruce and me together and it was so annoying. To be able to finally walk around in public without having to worry about cameras was very, very nice.

Eventually, we found ourselves in Florence, and I had a pretty good idea why Bruce brought us here.

Bruce was wearing a white undershirt with a light purple shirt overtop of it and it took all I had to not fangirl at just how amazingly attractive he looked in that.

"I've got a present for you," he said to me as we waited for a table. He gave me a small box and when I opened it, I gasped at the sight of a gorgeous pearl necklace.

"Your mother's necklace?"

"She would've wanted you to have it."

"Thank you."

I turned around and he fastened it around my neck. I was probably bright red, but I really didn't care anymore.

One of the waiters came and sat us down at a table. I ordered something small when I noticed Bruce looking past me. And I knew exactly what he was looking at.

I turned around myself and sure enough, Alfred sat at a table not too far from us. I smiled broadly at him and he smiled back at me. It must've been six or seven months since I saw him last and to just be able to get that glimpse was perfect.

"You made his fantasy come true," I said to Bruce as I turned back around. "Shall we make it even better?" I gently kissed him across the table and I could only imagine how Alfred felt about that, seeing as he totally shipped us and all since _Batman Begins_.

"You know what?" I whispered. "You made my fantasy come true too."

He smiled at me and kissed me again. He would never know just how much he had made my fantasy real. But to the both of us, all that mattered was that we loved each other.


	15. Epilogue Part 2

**Because I couldn't resist again...**

* * *

Some time after we saw Alfred in Florence, Bruce later took me to France, which was great because I've wanted to go there for years. It was even better now that I had a boyfriend. And not just any boyfriend.

We saw all kinds of places that related to certain fandoms of mine. Like we went inside Notre Dame, and I pictured Quasimodo swinging throughout the rafters and ringing the bells, we toured the Palais Garnier where the Phantom of the Opera was believed to have originally lived (most people think he's not real, but if he wasn't real, then why did a fire destroy the Opera House in 1873, just like in the play?), and I even convinced him to take me to see the bridge from _Inception._ I guess they didn't have that movie in this universe because he had no idea what I meant when I talked about it.

We also saw some other cool places like the Louvre, the Arc de Triomphe, the Palace of Versailles, among other historical sites.

He saved the best for last and before we left France, he took me, of course, to the Eiffel Tower. We went at night when it was all lit up and it was one of the most beautiful things I had ever seen.

I craned my neck up in order to see the top, but my eyes wouldn't travel that far and I couldn't bend my neck enough.

"Do you know what tonight is?" Bruce said, gently turning me towards him.

"Yes," I smiled. "It's the night we had our first kiss."

"I want this night to hold a different memory for you." Before I could question what he meant, my heart stopped beating as I watched him drop down onto one knee.

I couldn't breathe. How are lungs supposed to work again? Mine weren't working. I couldn't get any oxygen into my body.

He pulled out a very shiny diamond ring and looked up at me. "Kristina Jacobson, I love you so much. Will you marry me?"

I smiled broadly and nodded. "Yes, Bruce. Of course I will marry you."

He slipped the ring onto my ring finger and for the first time, I fangirled right in front of him. I just couldn't help it! Bruce freaking Wayne just asked me to marry him.

Without warning, I jumped on him and hugged him. He was surprised at first, but this wasn't the first time I had done this, so he knew how to handle it. He wrapped his arms around me and held me tightly.

When he set me down, I kissed him long and hard. Behind the Eiffel Tower, fireworks started going off in a cacophony of all different colors. We looked up at the bright lights and smiled. Then I kissed him again as we listened to the 'pop' and 'boom' of the fireworks behind us and the ones between us.


	16. Epilogue Part 3

**Okay, this is going to be the last one-shot I follow up with. I know some people want me to write a pregnancy one-shot, but I'm really happy with how this chapter ends, and I've already written a pregnancy one-shot for two of my other stories, so I'm kind of out of ideas for that. So with that, here is the very last chapter of my Dark Knight Trilogy fanfiction.**

* * *

As I looked in the mirror, I took a deep breath.

It was finally the day. My wedding day.

My gorgeous white gown flowed to my feet and was everything I ever wanted it to be. I had gotten my hair done earlier and it was now in a tight updo with two small pieces of curled hair hanging down onto my cheeks and small little jewels throughout it.

I felt so beautiful.

The door opened and Alfred came in wearing a tuxedo.

"Are you ready, Miss Jacobson?" he asked me.

"I'm so nervous, Alfred. This is the biggest day of our lives."

"You look marvelous. I'm very happy for the both of you."

I sighed. "Alfred, I swear, if you make me cry, I'll never forgive you."

He laughed warmly. "I know that you would prefer your father to be here right now instead of me. But I can tell you that you've done remarkable things that have saved the life of more than one person and even an entire city. And if your father were here, he would be beyond proud of you and what you have done over the last few years. Just like me."

A tear rolled down my cheek and I quickly wiped it away with a small laugh. "I told you not make me cry. You're going to make my make-up run." I carefully wiped my eyes and smiled at him. "But thanks. There's no one I'd rather have to walk me down the aisle."

I walked up to him and hugged him tightly.

"Shall we?" he said.

I took one last look in the mirror, placed my veil over my head, and he escorted me down the stairs to where we were having a beautiful outdoor wedding.

As I stood at the back of the aisle waiting for my cue, I looked out at where Bruce was standing.

True, this wasn't the elegant wedding I had always imagined as a little girl. There were no bridesmaids or groomsmen and there were hardly any members in the audience.

In fact, since few people from Gotham were supposed to know about Bruce's existence, only two people were currently sitting in chairs: Commissioner Gordon and John Blake. Selina was acting as my maid of honor and Lucius Fox was serving as Bruce's best man.

I didn't care about the small attendance. These were the people I had spent time with and bonded with as we all tried to save Gotham a number of times. No doubt Harvey and Rachel would've attended had they been alive.

Alfred smiled at me and held out his arm. I took it and the music began playing as we walked down the aisle together.

Bruce was smiling at me, and I felt my knees turn into jelly, but I managed to keep walking. He looked so, so, SO gorgeous in the tuxedo he was wearing. I couldn't believe I was about to be married to him.

Alfred and I reached the end of the aisle and I felt my heart pounding so much, it hurt my chest.

"Who gives this woman to be wed?" the preacher asked.

"I do," Alfred answered.

Alfred released my arm and I stepped forward at the altar where Bruce took my hands in his. I could tell he was shaking a little and I gave him an encouraging smile, telling him that I was just as nervous as he was.

"Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today to witness and celebrate the joining of Bruce Wayne and Kristina Jacobson in marriage," the preacher announced to the now three men sitting in the audience. "With love and commitment, they have decided to live their lives together as husband and wife." He turned to look at Bruce. "Do you Bruce Wayne, take Kristina Jacobson to be your lawfully wedded wife, to have and to hold from this day forward, for better or for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, from this day forward until death do you part? If so, answer 'I do'."

Bruce smiled broadly at me. "I do."

The preacher turned to look at me next. "And do you Kristina Jacobson, take Bruce Wayne to be your lawfully wedded husband, to have and to hold from this day forward, for better or for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, from this day forward until death do you part?"

I couldn't believe this was happening. "I do."

"May I have the rings?"

Lucius handed the preacher two beautiful rings. The preacher carefully took them and handed the respective one to the both of us.

"Bruce, place the ring on Kristina's finger and repeat after me. "'I, Bruce Wayne, give you, Kristina Jacobson, this ring as an eternal symbol of my love and commitment to you'."

Bruce slowly slid my ring onto my finger. "I, Bruce Wayne, give you, Kristina Jacobson, this ring as an eternal symbol of my love and commitment to you."

"Kristina, place the ring on Bruce's finger and repeat after me. "'I, Kristina Jacobson, give you, Bruce Wayne, this ring as an eternal symbol of my love and commitment to you'."

I smiled even wider as I put the ring onto his own finger. "I, Kristina Jacobson, give you, Bruce Wayne, this ring as an eternal symbol of my love and commitment to you."

"And now, by the power vested in me, I hereby pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss the bride."

Bruce smiled and carefully pulled the veil up from my face. I must've been beaming like nothing else. He placed his hand on my neck and pulled me closer to him and gently pressed his lips to mine as we sealed our wedding vows we had made to each other.

"I now present to you Mr. and Mrs. Bruce Wayne."

That was such a beautiful thing to my ears. Bruce kissed me again and the five people in attendance all applauded for us.

We all went to a very small event house for a little reception. I had been very clear that I was getting a traditional wedding cake and wedding dance.

Bruce and I cut the cake together and crossed our arms as we fed each other the first piece. Then he put a little bit of frosting on my nose and I did the same for him as we laughed together.

Afterward, Bruce took my hand and led me to the middle of the floor. A slow song started playing and he put his hands around my waist while mine went around his neck.

"I love you," he whispered to me.

"I love you too," I whispered back.

He softly kissed me again as we continued to dance.

I couldn't believe it. Here I was, married to a fictional character who I'd been attracted to for years. To think this all started when I got into a car accident on the way to work. Little 26-year-old Kristina Jacobson gets thrown into _Batman Begins_ and fangirls about everything going on. While I'm still a fangirl, I've matured greatly from that girl I once was.

Now, I am and forever will be Kristina Wayne.


End file.
